Japanese investors show interest in Republic of Congo

About 40 Japanese private operators haveexpressed interest in investing in agriculture, livestock, fisheries, mining and forestry in the Republic of Congo.

The investors accompanied Tuesday by Japan's assistant minister for foreign relations, Hirotaka Ishihara, urged the Congolese government to facilitate achievement of their vision.

"Japanese firms are very interested in Congo, a country which is rich in natural resources and hopes to develop its infrastructures. This visit is an opportunity to discuss all these issues," Ishihara said.

To boost relations between Brazzaville and Tokyo, the assistant minister urged the Congolese authorities to open a mission in the Japanese capital.

The Republic of Congo's Finance Minister Gilbert Ondongo said the arrival of Japanese businessmen in the Central African country will promote the economic development as it strives to become an emerging economy by 2025.

"We are among the few countries in the world which, during this crisis period, have been recording, year after year, budgetary surplus with an average growth rate of 5 percent. We hope to double this to 10 percent by next year," Ondongo said.