War vectors or actors of peace?
septembre 27, 2017
Nobel Peace Prize 2010
septembre 27, 2017In Beni, economic operators call for peace to create jobs
In Beni, a town in North Kivu, hotels grow like mushrooms to accommodate the many humanitarians who settle there and attract tourists.
City of about 500,000 souls, Beni seems to breathe calm. For humanitarian organizations, many in the last ten years in eastern DRC, due to the persistence of armed conflicts, this city is an « oasis of peace » and a rear base that is both safe and secure. More than a dozen of them have settled there to coordinate their field operations: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Program (WFP), United Nations Development Program UNDP) …
Investing in Sustainability
Their arrival led to a boom in the real estate sector in Beni. « They are good tenants, which explains the obligation that local economic operators place at their disposal comfortable and spacious buildings, » says Philippe Mutshukunde, president of the hoteliers of the city. According to him, the city currently has 25 hotels, 17 of which have been built over the past two years. « A dozen meet the standards, that is to say they have a kitchen adapted to the African or the European, have a snack bar, a cafeteria and have a capacity of more than 15 rooms with television « , he assures. « Pyramide Great Lakes », « Beni New Look 2 », « Pic Marguerite », « Hotel Irungi » …
These hotels, whose names are often evocative of local geographical realities, have transformed the image of Beni. The city is also in the process of acquiring an international airport, already partly used by the United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUC) aircraft. In this region, which once attracted many tourists, these new infrastructures announce the recovery, still very timid, of the sector. « At least two to five tourists are registered each week to visit the Pic Margueritte at Mount Ruwenzori, or Mount Hoyo in the Orientale Province, » said Jean-Bosco Makasi, the head of the urban tourism service in Beni.
For investors, mainly local businessmen operating in cross-border trade with Uganda, Kenya or Tanzania, the hotel industry is therefore very beneficial. One of them said today « proud to have built a hotel of fifty rooms in less than two years » in Matonge, a popular district of Beni. There, a room costs $ 20 to $ 50 a night.
For traders, regularly attacked by armed bandits or by ambulance soldiers on the roads, running the risk of numerous aircraft accidents in recent years, the hotel business is a « sustainable investment that involves less risk « In their eyes. Others buy systematically plots that look out over the main avenues to build shops …
Making Peace Happen
These new constructions create jobs in the city. Masons, carpenters, carpenters, all the bodies of the building trade no longer turn their thumbs. They jump from one building site to another. Eugene Machozi, a master mason, is delighted. Since 2005 that is observed this boom, « life is beautiful in Beni. The trade of builder has become noble, « he confesses.
Very satisfied with this rapid development of his city, the Mayor of Beni, Jules Kasereka Mungwana, encourages other businessmen of his country to contribute more. « With all my specialized services, he promises, I will do everything to make peace in Beni. »
