Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, visited the Minoh Campus

On June 27, 2025, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, visited UOsaka Minoh Campus. The visit was made possible thanks to the Prime Minister’s strong wish to speak directly to Japanese university students, who will pioneer the next generation, about the importance of an amicable relationship between Africa and Japan for further development of both countries. The event held at the University of Osaka coincided with her trip to Japan for the Democratic Republic of the Congo Independence Day celebrations.

Prior to the lecture, Prime Minister Suminwa and senior government officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo had informal talks with members of our university to deepen their friendship, including Executive Vice President Keiko Takemura, Dean of the School of Foreign Studies Sayo Tsutsui, Dean of the Graduate School of Humanities Masaaki Shimizu, and Director of the Center for Japanese Language and Culture Yasuhiro Kishida.

At the lecture, Prime Minister Suminuwa passionately introduced in French various policies for promoting the social empowerment of women and young people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The venue was packed with so many students that there were not enough seats for everyone there, and the students who attended listened attentively, taking notes with the help of the consecutive interpretation.

During the Q&A session, Prime Minister Suminwa enthusiastically answered questions about "harmony between nature and humans," as well as specific questions about policies from a student studying Lingala (a language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), who also gave self-introduction in the language.

After the lecture, Prime Minister Suminwa and other senior government officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo actively engaged in communication with our students, making it such a valuable experience for the students as well.