Afcon 2025 Expo: Rabat hosts launch of Leopard Business Village

Saturday 13 December 2025 - 16:40

By: Sahili Aya

Afcon 2025 Expo: Rabat hosts launch of Leopard Business Village

Rabat will host the official opening of the Leopard Business Village – Expo CAN Morocco 2025 on December 19, 2025, in the heart of the city’s diplomatic district. This pan-African initiative, led by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through its Ministry of Tourism and implemented by the think tank RDC Stratégie, is designed as a unique platform for economic diplomacy, continental cooperation, and showcasing Congolese potential.

Spanning 3,500 square meters, the temporary village is envisioned as an alternative embassy, aiming to strengthen the DRC’s presence on the African stage, promote its soft power, and highlight its cultural, economic, touristic, and innovative offerings to the Moroccan public, investors, and institutional actors.

The project also seeks to enhance bilateral relations between the DRC and Morocco, encouraging economic exchanges, B2B partnerships, mutual investment, and building bridges between companies, cultural organizations, and public institutions of both countries.

Key features of the village include:

Exhibition Pavilion: Showcasing Congolese companies active in infrastructure, technology, agribusiness, creative industries, tourism, and innovation.
Cultural and Festive Space: Hosting concerts, Congolese cuisine, artistic performances, workshops, and live broadcasts of AFCON matches.
Business and Diplomatic Hub: Offering ministerial panels, bilateral meetings, roundtables, business dinners, and high-level networking sessions.

The programming will run from December 19, 2025, to January 18, 2026, with a full calendar of exhibitions, conferences, cultural activities, economic meetings, and diplomatic events. The goal is to position Rabat as a hub of African economic and cultural exchange during the AFCON period.

The inauguration will bring together members of the Moroccan government, Congolese ministers, diplomats, and prominent figures from the economic, cultural, and institutional spheres. Through the Leopard Business Village, the DRC aims to reaffirm its identity, attractiveness, and central role on the continent, under the slogan: “DRC – Heart of Africa.”