It is not all doom and gloom in Goma, North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite the city living in the shadow of the fiery Mount Nyiragongo. 

Ahead of the second leg of the Uganda-DRC Business Summit which starts Monday in Goma, the head of the Ugandan Liaison Office in Goma, Lucy Kakwano, hosted the delegates and members of the Diaspora League in the city for a cocktail. 

Kakwano welcomed the delegates and assured them of security while in Goma. She said a number of Ugandans were working in the city, both in the formal and informal sectors. 

“We have quite a number who are working in the UN while many are mechanics or doing other businesses,” she said. 

While at the dinner, the head of the Ugandan delegation, who is also the State Minister for Trade, Harriet Ntabazi, called for research and trustworthiness if the Ugandan traders are to benefit from the Congolese market. 

Odrek Rwabwogo, the Senior Presidential Advisor – Special Duties, said the only way to end insecurity in the region was through trade and joint venture investments. 

“You cannot fight with your supplier or customer,” he said.  

Stephen Asiimwe, the Chief Executive Officer of the Private Sector Foundation, asked the various traders to join PSFU so that they can move together with one voice.