Sans attendre les conclusions de l’audit sur les activités du pétrolier franco-britannique Perenco, unique opérateur actif en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), le ministre des Hydrocarbures, Aimé Sakombi Molendo, a présenté deux mesures destinées à renforcer le contrôle des exportations pétrolières. Ces propositions ont été soumises au gouvernement lors du Conseil des ministres du 6 juin 2025 qui en a pris acte.

La première mesure interdit, sans délai, l’affrètement de pétroliers répertoriés comme « blacklistés ». Ces navires figurent sur la liste noire du transport maritime international en raison de pratiques frauduleuses telles que le transbordement illégal, la dissimulation de cargaisons ou des manquements aux normes de traçabilité.

« Cette mesure répond à l’urgence d’encadrer les exportations pétrolières, dans l’attente des conclusions définitives de l’audit global sur le secteur. Elle ne vise pas à bloquer les activités commerciales légitimes, mais à encourager une exploitation plus rigoureuse et transparente des ressources nationales », indique le compte rendu du Conseil. Elle doit ainsi prévenir la fraude, l’évasion fiscale et limiter les risques environnementaux, en écartant les navires vétustes susceptibles de provoquer des marées noires et en bloquant tout moyen de fuite ou de dissimulation des cargaisons.

La seconde mesure concerne la modernisation du terminal pétrolier de Muanda, avec le remplacement du Floating, Storage and Offloading (FSO) Kalamu, un réservoir flottant destiné à stocker le brut avant expédition. Le ministre mise sur un modèle d’actionnariat public-privé, avec la participation des producteurs du bassin côtier, de la Sonahydroc SA et d’un partenaire chargé de fournir un FSO moderne.

Selon le gouvernement, cette modernisation s’inscrit dans une vision à long terme, visant à renforcer le contrôle des volumes de brut exporté, améliorer leur traçabilité, et optimiser la rentabilité du secteur par une meilleure maîtrise de la chaîne de valeur.

Aux sources des soupçons

L’audit sur Perenco a été lancé fin 2024. L’entreprise opère en RDC via la Société congolaise de recherche et d’exploration de pétrole (Socorep), détentrice de l’unique titre d’exploitation en activité. L’objectif est d’évaluer la production réelle, la conformité aux engagements fiscaux, contractuels et environnementaux. Cet audit fait suite à une visite ministérielle dans les installations de Perenco, qui a révélé une baisse de la production de 25 000 à 18 000 barils par jour.

Bien que l’audit soit en cours jusqu’à fin 2025, le ministre Sakombi affirme avoir déjà reçu des rapports intermédiaires, dont le contenu reste confidentiel. On ignore s’ils ont motivé les nouvelles mesures. Néanmoins, les soupçons de fraude sont nourris par plusieurs documents officiels. Le dernier rapport de l’Initiative pour la transparence des industries extractives (ITIE) signale un écart de 972 000 barils entre les chiffres de production 2022 déclarés par la Société générale des hydrocarbures (SGH) et les entreprises pétrolières (principalement Perenco), et ceux de la Banque centrale du Congo. Le même rapport indique également un écart de plus de 200 millions de dollars entre les exportations déclarées par la RDC et les importations recensées par ses principaux clients.

Sur le plan environnemental, des ONG comme Sherpa et Les Amis de la Terre ont dénoncé de longue date les pratiques de Perenco en RDC, accusant l’entreprise spécialisée dans les puits pétroliers en fin de vie de négliger les compensations dues aux populations riveraines.

L’audit semble avoir refroidi les relations entre Perenco et les autorités congolaises. Le ministre regrette une collaboration partielle de la multinationale. Le président du groupe, François Perrodo, a effectué un voyage en RDC fin 2024 sans rencontrer les autorités, un fait inhabituel pour un dirigeant de ce niveau.

Georges Auréole Bamba

Lire aussi :

Pétrole : la RDC annonce une révision totale de son code pour attirer les investisseurs

Exploitation pétrolière : la Sonahydroc au cœur de la nouvelle stratégie de la RDC

On June 3, 2025, the European Commission confirmed that all airlines certified by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remain on its aviation safety blacklist, barring them from operating in European Union airspace and excluding them from the European market. 

Despite progress made by the DRC since 2023, including a rise in compliance with international aviation safety standards from 11% in 2006 to 64.07% in 2023, the country has yet to meet all requirements to be removed from the list.

Following a 2023 audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which noted significant improvements, the DRC government has taken steps to address safety concerns. These include adopting a new civil aviation law in late 2023 that mandates airport certification and adherence to international protocols, and signing a ten-year partnership in May 2024 between the Régie des voies aériennes (RVA) and British firm Westminster Group PLC to enhance security at five major airports—Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Goma, Kisangani, and Mbuji-Mayi—through expert deployment, staff training, and equipment modernization.

Despite surpassing the ICAO’s 60% compliance threshold, the European Commission’s decision to maintain the ban cites ongoing safety concerns and inadequate oversight by the DRC’s aviation authorities. The Commission has informed the affected airlines of the reasons behind the continued restrictions, but has not publicly detailed the specific issues.

Ronsard Luabeya (intern)

Pascal Agboyibor, a Franco-Togolese business lawyer, has been appointed as one of the 22 members of the strategic coordination unit overseeing the mining partnership negotiations between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the United States. His appointment was formalized in decision no. 25/020 on May 12, 2025, establishing this unit to monitor negotiations and implement the critical minerals agreement.

The unit comprises three entities: management, a technical secretariat, and a group of experts. Agboyibor is the sole lawyer on the management team, which includes key state officials such as Anthony Nkinzo Kamole, Chief of Staff to the President; Foreign Affairs Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner; Mines Minister Kizito Pakabomba; and the chairmen of Gécamines and Arecoms, Guy-Robert Lukama and Patrick Mpoyi Luabeya, respectively.

Founder of Asafo & Co, Agboyibor is recognized as one of Africa’s most influential lawyers in mining, energy, and infrastructure. He frequently advises on sovereign financing, public-private partnerships, and transactions involving multilateral institutions. He has been active in the DRC for several years, notably advising the government during the renegotiation of the partnership between Gécamines and Chinese group CMOC over the Tenke Fungurume mine, which resulted in an $800 million settlement favoring the Congolese state-owned company.

In 2024, Agboyibor was named the most influential lawyer in the French-speaking world for the fourth time by Africa Business+, a recognition based on the complexity and sensitivity of his cases. The magazine highlights his role in supporting and defending the Congolese state and Gécamines against foreign operators.

Led by Anthony Nkinzo Kamole, the unit coordinates preparatory work, harmonizes positions among Congolese institutions, and ensures compliance with commitments under the bilateral agreement. The partnership aims to secure US access to strategic Congolese minerals—cobalt, lithium, and coltan—in exchange for increased political support to resolve the conflict in eastern DRC. According to the Financial Times, the agreement could be signed by the end of June 2025.

Boaz Kabeya (intern)

At the May 30, 2025 Council of Ministers meeting, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reviewed a note from Portfolio Minister, Jean Lucien Bussa, regarding the resumption of activities at Triomf RDC SA, a mixed-economy company that manufactures chemical fertilizers.

According to meeting minutes, Bussa emphasized the need to secure adequate financing for investment, working capital, and cash flow to ensure a reliable supply chain and sustainable business relaunch. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is currently studying these financing options.

Triomf RDC was established in October 2013 through a public-private partnership between the Congolese state (30% stake) and South African company Africom Commodities Ltd (70%). The goal was to produce fertilizers locally to support the Congolese agricultural sector. The plant, located in Boma, Kongo Central province, was inaugurated in April 2017. When fully operational, it had an annual production capacity of 25,000 tonnes and employed around 2,000 people, with initial investments totaling US$50 million.

Despite a promising start, Triomf RDC faced challenges that led the firm to cease operations. A 2021 assessment by the Fonds de promotion de l'industrie (FPI) revealed a lack of funds to purchase essential inputs, forcing the company to produce fertilizers abroad for the Congolese market. The FPI recommended recapitalizing the investment to revitalize the project.

The Congolese government has since taken steps to relaunch Triomf’s activities. At the July 14, 2023 Council of Ministers meeting, President Félix Tshisekedi directed the Portfolio Minister to collaborate with other government members to develop a revival plan. In September 2024, Minister Bussa discussed the possibility of increasing the company's capital and amending its articles of association with a company delegation.

This article was initially published in French by Boaz Kabeya (intern)

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

Work to rehabilitate and extend the runway at Mbuji-Mayi National Airport has made significant progress, according to a press release from the African Development Bank (AfDB). “Approximately 85% of the planned 320-meter extension is complete,” the pan-African Bank said, emphasizing that the project aims to lengthen the runway from 2,000 to 2,320 meters.

This update was confirmed during a joint mission in May 2025 by the Democratic Republic of Congo government and the AfDB to assess the impact of AfDB-funded projects. 

In January, Romain Tshinyama, commander of the Régie des voies aériennes (RVA), reported that the runway extension was finished and noted that President Félix Tshisekedi is considering a further extension to 3,000 meters. “The studies have already been carried out... the dossier is just waiting for funding from the Congolese government,” he had said then.

The mission report states that the new tarmac is 95% complete, while runway end safety areas (RESA) are 70-75% finalized. Other key infrastructure—including the control tower, electrical systems, fire station, and lighting—is nearing completion.

Originally scheduled for February 2025, the project faced delays due to the late demolition of approximately 800 homes built on airport land, known as Bipemba, and financial difficulties encountered by the Chinese contractor China Jiangxi International Corporation (CJIC). The provincial government of Kasaï-Oriental carried out the demolitions in October 2024 after residents resisted eviction orders issued earlier that year.

La modernisation de l’aéroport de Mbuji-Mayi s’inscrit dans la deuxième phase du Projet prioritaire de sécurité aérienne (PPSA2).

The Mbuji-Mayi airport upgrade is part of the second phase of the Priority Air Safety Project (PPSA2). Under the same program, Bangoka Airport in Kisangani has undergone full rehabilitation of aircraft movement areas, taxiways, and tarmac, with two turnarounds installed. Additionally, radio navigation systems have been installed at airports in Luano (Lubumbashi), Kindu, Kinshasa, Mbandaka, and Goma to enhance domestic flight safety.

According to the AfDB, these improvements have reduced air accidents in the DRC from an average of ten per year to just one.

This article was initially published in French by Timothée Manoke (intern)

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

In Kenya, Equity Group Holdings (EGH) has laid off 1,200 employees after a sweeping internal investigation into suspected fraud, including misuse of personal accounts and M-Pesa wallets. EGH  CEO James Mwangi, who announced the news, noted that the probe was launched in April 2025. 

The executive emphasized that the operation, uncovered losses of 2 billion Kenyan shillings (about $15.4 million) over two years, linked to unauthorized transfers—some to offshore accounts in Abu Dhabi—and collusion between staff and fraudsters across multiple departments.

The investigation will now extend to EGH’s other subsidiaries, including EquityBCDC in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the group controls 27% of the banking market—the largest share among its regional operations00.

The crackdown comes as EquityBCDC’s customer base in the DRC has more than doubled since 2020, reaching 1.86 million by October 2024. However, this episode could complicate EGH’s efforts to sell its 35% stake in EquityBCDC, a requirement from the Central Bank of Congo (BCC) that must be fulfilled by July 4, 2026.

The group’s decisive response to internal fraud highlights both the scale of the challenge and its commitment to restoring trust and strengthening controls across all its markets.

This article was initially published in French by Boaz Kabeya (intern)

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

Advans Congo microfinance wants to double its loan disbursements in 2025, targeting over $100 million in new loans, up from just over $50 millinaging Director Jean-Luc Nzoubou in an interview with Bankable in Kinshasa.

By the end of May 2025, Advans had already granted nearly $30 million in loans, and management is confident of meeting—or even surpassing—the annual target, noting that 70% of loans are typically granted between July and December.

At the end of 2024, the institution opened two new branches in Greater Katanga (Lubumbashi and Kolwezi), bringing its network to 11 locations nationwide, including five in Kinshasa. These new branches already account for 30% of loan disbursements this year, prompting plans for two more branches in the region.

Advans has also implemented a streamlined loan processing system, allowing new customers to receive loans within seven days, and even faster for existing clients. 

According to its website, loan amounts range from $100 to $200,000, with monthly interest rates capped at 5%. The focus is on micro and small businesses with at least one year of activity, and repayment terms are tailored to business needs, “ranging from 6 to 18 months for working capital and up to 36 months for investment needs,” according to Jean-Luc Nzoubou.

Advans closed 2024—a year CEO Nzoubou described as one of “strong growth”—with gross loans outstanding of 114.2 billion Congolese francs ($41 million), up 49.4% from 2023. This expansion was achieved with solid risk control, as gross disputed loans rose only moderately from CF8.3 to CF8.8 billion.

This article was initially published in French by Timothée Manoke (intern)

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

Central bank governors from the East African Community (EAC) met in May 2025 in Mombasa to approve a roadmap for a unified cross-border payment system, set to launch by 2030. According to the source, a press release published on the EAC’s website, this “regional switch” aims to streamline, accelerate, and reduce the cost of financial transactions among the eight EAC member states: Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, DRC, Somalia, Tanzania, and South Sudan.

The new system will allow, for example, a cocoa producer in North Kivu, DRC, to receive payments directly to a mobile money or bank account from a buyer in Kenya, without the current hurdles of currency exchange or long transfer times. These transactions are currently slow and expensive, with mobile money transfers costing up to 16.4% between some countries and bank transfers taking two to three days.

According to the World Bank, in 2024, sending $200 between Tanzania and Kenya via mobile money cost 16.4%, split between a 1.03% sending fee and a 15.37% margin on the exchange rate, often applied by intermediaries.

A roadmap

To address these constraints, member states are planning a harmonized approach to accepting and exchanging local currencies. "This initiative will reduce exchange-related costs, accelerate transaction speed and improve price transparency, thus fostering a smoother and more cost-effective cross-border payments ecosystem," the roadmap states.

The roadmap outlines four stages: harmonizing national payment regulations, establishing national switches to link banks and mobile money operators, interconnecting these switches by 2028, and launching a single regional switch by 2030. In the DRC, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka announced on May 2, 2025, the imminent launch of the Mosolo national electronic payment switch, which will integrate all players in the national payment system.

This article was initially published in French by Timothée Manoke (intern)

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

The World Bank has recently approved a $1 billion budget to support the development of the “Mythical Inga” hydropower project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Albert Zeufack, the Bank’s Director of Operations in the DRC, disclosed the news on X. Zeufack described the decision as “excellent news,” marking the World Bank’s return to the project after a nine-year hiatus and signaling renewed confidence in the Congolese authorities.

An initial tranche of $250 million, part of the overall budget, was approved on June 3, 2025. These funds will enable the Agence pour le développement et la promotion du Grand Inga (ADPI-RDC) to lay the groundwork for the sustainable development of Inga 3, with a focus on benefiting local communities, improving infrastructure, and creating jobs in riverside areas.

“The Inga 3 development program will accelerate the energy sector reform agenda and provide much-needed power generation capacity to ensure the sustainability of progress made in implementing the National Energy Plan (COMPACT DRC) beyond 2030,” Zeufack said.

For Bob Mabila, Director of ADPI-RDC, this milestone represents “an opportunity to write a new page in the history of the DRC’s development.” He envisions the project harnessing the country’s natural resources to lift millions out of extreme poverty. Mabila emphasized that, combined with investments in governance, education, and infrastructure, the Inga project could transform natural wealth into sustainable economic growth, job creation, and human development for the Congolese people.

The Inga 3 project is a major hydroelectric initiative on the Congo River, located near Inga Falls in the Kongo-Central province. It aims to tap into the region’s vast hydroelectric potential to boost the country’s energy supply and possibly export power to neighboring markets such as South Africa.

Depending on the chosen development options, the project’s final capacity is expected to range between 4,800 and 11,000 megawatts (MW), significantly surpassing the combined capacity of less than 2,000 MW from the existing Inga I and Inga II dams, which currently operate well below capacity due to maintenance challenges.

Selon un communiqué publié sur le site officiel de la Communauté d’Afrique de l’Est (CAE), les gouverneurs des banques centrales des pays membres se sont réunis en mai 2025 à Mombasa pour valider la feuille de route d’un futur système de paiement transfrontalier. Objectif : mettre en place d’ici 2030 un système unifié visant à stimuler le commerce régional et à faciliter les échanges financiers.

Concrètement, ce dispositif — baptisé switch régional — permettra de simplifier les opérations financières entre les acteurs économiques des huit États membres (Burundi, Kenya, Ouganda, Rwanda, RDC, Somalie, Tanzanie et Soudan du Sud), en les rendant plus rapides et moins coûteuses, selon les termes de la feuille de route.

À titre d’exemple, un producteur de cacao basé au Nord-Kivu, en RDC, pourra vendre sa récolte à une usine kényane et recevoir son paiement dans un délai réduit, directement sur son téléphone via son compte mobile money (M-Pesa, Airtel Money) ou son compte bancaire. L’acheteur, de son côté, pourra effectuer le paiement depuis son propre compte — mobile ou bancaire — sans se soucier des obstacles liés au change.

Actuellement, les transactions transfrontalières dans la région restent onéreuses et lentes. Envoyer de l’argent de la RDC vers l’Ouganda via mobile money coûte environ 5 % de frais. Par voie bancaire, le délai de transfert varie entre deux et trois jours.

Selon la Banque mondiale, en 2024, l’envoi de 200 dollars entre la Tanzanie et le Kenya via mobile money coûtait 16,4 %, répartis entre 1,03 % de frais d’envoi et 15,37 % de marge sur le taux de change, souvent appliquée par des intermédiaires.

Feuille de route

Pour remédier à ces contraintes, les États membres prévoient une approche harmonisée permettant d’accepter et d’échanger les monnaies locales. « Cette initiative réduira les coûts liés au change, accélérera la vitesse des transactions et améliorera la transparence des prix, favorisant ainsi un écosystème de paiements transfrontaliers plus fluide et plus économique », précise la feuille de route.

Le document prévoit une mise en œuvre progressive en quatre étapes. La première consistera à harmoniser les réglementations nationales sur les paiements afin d’éliminer les obstacles juridiques et techniques. Ensuite, chaque pays devra se doter d’un switch national — une infrastructure reliant banques, opérateurs de mobile money et fintechs. Certains pays comme le Kenya, la Tanzanie et le Rwanda disposent déjà de cette infrastructure ; d’autres sont en train de la finaliser.

Une fois ces switches opérationnels, leur interconnexion est prévue d’ici 2028. À l’horizon 2030, un switch régional unique permettra d’assurer des transactions transparentes et directes entre les pays membres.

En RDC, lors du Conseil des ministres du 2 mai 2025, la Première ministre Judith Suminwa Tuluka a annoncé le lancement imminent du Switch monétique national baptisé Mosolo, censé interconnecter les acteurs du système national de paiement.

Timothée Manoke, stagiaire

Lire aussi :

Paiement numérique : Mosolo, le système unifié de la RDC bientôt lancé

Paiements internationaux : en RDC, Ecobank et XTransfer ciblent plus de 18 milliards $ d’échanges