First DRC female prime minister “momentous occasion for DRC’s coming-of-age journey”
“This is such great news, how wonderful for the new Prime Minister, H.E. Judith Tuluka, and the DRC! May it inspire many young Congolese women and girls to reach for a stars and becoming mining engineers, geologists or any exciting career that the mining industry offers.’
This is the reaction to the recent appointment of DRC’s former Planning Minister, H.E. Madam Judith Tuluka Suminwa, as the country’s new Prime Minister by Samukelo Madlabane, Event Director – Mining at the Vuka Group, organisers of the annual, long-running flagship conference and expo, DRC Mining Week, in Lubumbashi.
Impressive career
Says Madlabane: “While we are aware and hopeful that soon the announcement that a woman has been appointed to such an auspicious post will not be something that will be particularly newsworthy anymore, let alone a story that breaks on 1 April, we appreciate and celebrate that this is an important moment for the new Prime Minister’s impressive career and for her personally as well as a momentous occasion for the DRC in its coming-of-age journey.”
Women in Mining
According to the Event Director, as longstanding supporters of DRC Mining Week, the Kinshasa government has always been pro-active in its emphasis of promoting equality, sustainability and empowerment in the sector. He explains: “Indeed, we are so proud of the annual Women In Mining initiative at our event. It is always an event highlight, uniting various inspirational professionals who are pioneers in the community. Year after year, we host a packed, invitation-only meeting with remarkable women coming together to share their experiences, their best practices and their knowledge.”
As organisers of DRC Mining Week and other leading events in this industry, the Vuka Group embodies these same principles of empowerment and sustainability. “In fact, Madlabane continues, “women have always formed the indispensable heart of the DRC Mining Week event teams that have worked tirelessly on this event for almost 20 years now. We look forward to returning to Lubumbashi from 12–14 June for the industry to join hearts and minds to celebrate its successes and deliberate the challenges.”