Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba met with a delegation from JPMorgan Chase & Co. on Oct. 17, 2025, during the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings. According to the Ministry, the talks are part of efforts to strengthen the country’s international credibility and raise its profile in capital markets.

Fwamba is preparing the DRC’s first Eurobond issue, a deal expected before June 30, 2026, to raise $1.5 billion. JPMorgan, which has advised several African states including Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Angola, specializes in structuring sovereign bond transactions.

At the meeting, Fwamba highlighted macroeconomic stability and ongoing reforms to improve transparency in public financial management. “We want investors to see the DRC as a reliable partner committed to sustainable development,” he said, citing efforts to fight corruption and strengthen public finances.

JPMorgan welcomed progress on the business climate and expressed interest in further engagement with Congolese authorities. The bank plans a working visit to Kinshasa in the coming weeks.

The DRC’s inflation has fallen to 7.8% from 15.1% a year earlier, while the Congolese franc has gained about 23% on the official market, trading near 2,200 per dollar. The country’s public debt stands at a modest 22.5% of GDP, with speculative ratings of B- (S&P) and B3 (Moody’s), both stable.

However, analysts say the DRC’s continued inclusion on the FATF gray list remains a key obstacle, keeping the country tagged as high-risk for money laundering and terrorist financing. Despite efforts to comply, the FATF said in June that “work remains to be done.”

Ronsard Luabeya

The Office of Multimodal Freight Management (OGEFREM) announced the start of preliminary construction for the Kalamba-Mbuji dry port in Luiza territory, Kasai-Central province.

Regional Director Matthieu Tshilumba Kalenga confirmed the news on Oct. 16, 2025, after a meeting with Governor Joseph-Moïse Kambulu Nkonko. He said the necessary funds are already in place. The first stage will involve building a security fence around the 70-hectare site.

The completed dry port will include a truck park, service stations, driver housing, and offices for border services, all centralized in a one-stop shop.

The project follows OGEFREM’s acquisition of land titles for the site in February. Located near the DRC-Angola border, the Kalamba-Mbuji dry port is designed to boost trade by linking Kasai-Central with Angolan seaports, particularly the Port of Lobito. It also complements the Kananga-Kalamba-Mbuji road project currently under construction.

In April, OGEFREM Director General William Kazumba Mayombo said the agency had secured advance funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to conduct feasibility studies for the Kalamba-Mbuji dry port and planned logistics hubs in Matamba, Bilomba, and Mbulungu. These studies will also assess traffic on the Kandiadi-Kamako-Tshikapa, Kandiadi-Tshikapa, and Tshikapa-Kananga corridors, key routes for cross-border trade.

Ronsard Luabeya

Les médias locaux rapportent que dans la nuit du 22 au 23 octobre 2025, l’aviation des Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC) a de nouveau mené des frappes sur l’usine de transformation d’or de Twangiza Mining, située dans le territoire de Mwenga, au Sud-Kivu. Située à une quarantaine de kilomètres au sud-ouest de Bukavu, le site est occupée par le M23 depuis le début du mois de mai 2025, poussant l’entreprise à déclarer un cas de force majeure.

Dans une correspondance envoyée à Reuters, Twangiza Mining affirme avoir perdu plus de 100 kilogrammes d’or par mois depuis la prise de contrôle du site, ainsi que du matériel et des équipements d’une valeur estimée à 5 millions de dollars, bien que la nature exacte des dommages — vol, destruction ou abandon — ne soit pas précisée. Au prix actuel du marché, les 500 kilogrammes d’or dérobé jusqu’ici représente environ 70 millions de dollars. Ce qui porterait le préjudice total à environ 75 millions de dollars.

Les frappes de la nuit du 22 au 23 constituent la troisième opération aérienne menée contre les installations tenues par les rebelles. Les précédentes attaques, survenues il y a une semaine, avaient déjà endommagé les infrastructures électriques alimentant l’usine. Selon les sources locales, cette fois, les tirs auraient visé les réservoirs de carburant et les groupes électrogènes de secours, y compris ceux déjà hors service, afin de ralentir le traitement illégal de l’or par le M23.

D’après des sources familières des installations, la capacité de production de l’usine de Twangiza Mining atteindrait plus de 300 kilogrammes d’or par mois. Toutefois, l’entreprise ne figurait plus dans les statistiques officielles de production industrielle depuis 2021. Cette absence prolongée interroge d’autant plus aujourd’hui, alors qu’elle affirme avoir perdu plus de 100 kilogrammes d’or par mois depuis la prise de contrôle du site.

En 2020, la société canadienne Banro, qui exploitait la mine d’or de Twangiza depuis 2012, avait annoncé avoir cédé ses parts à l’actionnaire minoritaire Baiyin International Investments pour un franc symbolique. Selon les médias locaux, cette dernière aurait ensuite transféré le site à la société chinoise Ultrawell.

Timothée Manoke

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Or : la curieuse absence de Twangiza Mining des registres officiels depuis 2021

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed an agreement on Oct. 20 with Mauritius-based investment firm United Investment LMT (UIL) to strengthen its national digital infrastructure, Congolese media reported. The partnership, first agreed in 2023, is estimated to be worth about $150 million.

The project covers feasibility studies, the rollout of 60,000-80,000 kilometers of fiber-optic cable nationwide, the installation of a new 192-terabit-per-second submarine cable, and the construction of three data centers, according to Scoop RDC. It will also include the establishment of a national telecom operator providing both fixed and wireless services. No implementation timeline was provided.

“The DRC needs at least 40,000 to 50,000 kilometers of fiber to achieve full connectivity. Internet access remains below 30%,” said José Mpanda Kabangu, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, during the signing of supplementary documents with UIL. “The President wants all 145 territories of the country to be connected. I wish this project every success and will give it my full support.”

Expanding digital infrastructure and connectivity is one of four key goals of the 2026–2030 National Digital Plan (PNN2), which seeks to position the DRC as a regional digital hub. To support the strategy, the government plans to invest $1 billion over five years, alongside $500 million in external funding from international partners.

The country is also pursuing other public-private partnerships. Nigeria’s Fidelity Bank has expressed interest in financing a national telecom satellite project to improve connectivity.

The DRC scored 31/100 on the ITU’s 2024 ICT Development Index, ranking 41st out of 47 African countries. According to GSMA, about 32% of the population still lacked mobile internet coverage in 2024. The organization also noted that the DRC had around 9,631 kilometers of fiber installed, with another 29,000 kilometers planned by public and private operators. The country is connected to the WACS and 2Africa submarine cables, according to Submarine Cable Map.

Isaac K. Kassouwi, Ecofin Agency

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba has instructed the Directorate General of Taxes (DGI) to extend the moratorium on enforcing the tax clearance certificate until Dec. 31, 2025, according to members of the Federation of Congolese Enterprises (FEC).

The directive, dated Oct. 9, 2025, gives companies more time to comply but applies only to specific operations defined in an earlier July 25 order.

Fwamba made clear that no further extension will be granted beyond Dec. 31, requiring all affected firms to bring their tax affairs into compliance. The decision has drawn concern from the private sector, which says the government had previously pledged to engage in talks with business groups to clarify and improve the system.

At a Council of Ministers meeting on Sept. 12, President Félix Tshisekedi criticized some tax clearance procedures as “disproportionate given their impact on economic activity.” He asked the Prime Minister to work with the Finance Ministry, DGI, and business leaders to review the process.

On Sept. 25, Fwamba met with the FEC, announcing plans for a standing dialogue forum and a National Fiscal Mediation Commission to foster transparency and inclusive tax reform.

Under a Finance Ministry decree issued on April 9, 2025, the clearance must be granted within 10 days of application; after that, it is automatically approved if no response is issued. Companies say this rule is rarely observed, citing lengthy delays.

Another unresolved issue concerns who must present the clearance during customs operations, the goods owner or the clearing agent.

The reform aims to improve compliance in a country where fiscal discipline remains weak. The DRC’s tax-to-GDP ratio is below 15%, compared with a sub-Saharan African average of 23%, according to the OECD.

Timothée Manoke

Esengo Towers, a joint venture between Orange RDC and Vodacom Congo, plans to invest $179 million over four years to deploy 1,000 telecom towers across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to expand mobile coverage.

Esengo Towers CEO Jean-Philippe Léonard announced the plan on Oct. 22, 2025, after meeting with Minister of Posts and Telecommunications José Mpanda Kabangu.

The company, founded in January 2025 and equally owned by the two mobile operators, aims to expand rural connectivity by building solar-powered base stations equipped with 2G and 4G technology. It also targets the construction of 2,000 towers within six years.

The project has faced delays. The first station was expected to be operational by end-2025, but the firm still lacks an operating license. Léonard said obtaining the license is crucial before choosing suppliers and finalizing financing, and he now expects construction to begin in 2026.

He asked the minister to help secure authorization from the Regulatory Authority of Posts and Telecommunications (ARPTC). In a ministry statement, Kabangu expressed government support and noted that the DRC needs about 300,000 towers for full coverage, compared with 5,105 currently.

“The 2,000 towers planned by Esengo Towers, though not enough to meet national needs, represent a major contribution, especially for rural areas,” Kabangu said.

Orange RDC and Vodacom Congo will share the infrastructure as anchor tenants for 20 years and open it to other operators to share costs and broaden coverage, targeting 19 million new users and promoting digital inclusion and mobile financial access.

‎Ronsard Luabeya 

Tanzania’s plan to extend its National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB) to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was discussed on Oct. 20, 2025, during a meeting at Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTCL) headquarters in Dar es Salaam.

The project will lay a submarine fiber-optic cable across Lake Tanganyika, linking Kigoma in Tanzania and Kalemie in the DRC over roughly 160-186 kilometers.

The Tanzanian delegation was led by Moremi Marwa, TTCL Director General, and Leo Magomba, ICT Infrastructure Director at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. The Congolese side was headed by Prosper Ghislain Mpeye, Director General of the Société Congolaise de Fibre Optique (SOCOF).

Few details were disclosed, as the talks are covered by a confidentiality agreement signed in February 2023. The two sides are completing final preparations before construction begins in early 2026, pending environmental approval. Full commissioning is expected by late 2027.

The $15-20 million project is structured as a public-private partnership involving Mauritian firm Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group for technical expertise. The governments of both countries will hold quarterly meetings to track progress and manage financial risks.

Part of the AUDA-NEPAD Priority Action Plan (2021-2030), the interconnection is identified as a key link for digital integration in East and Southern Africa. The NICTBB already connects Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi; adding the DRC would complete an East–West fiber corridor, boosting regional connectivity.

TTCL, the implementing agency, said the project will accelerate the DRC’s digital transformation and spur economic growth. Fiber deployment could cut bandwidth costs by half and benefit sectors from mining to digital finance, education, and healthcare.

The cable will use single-mode G.652D fiber, starting at 100 Gbps, expandable to several terabits. Joint environmental studies with the Société Congolaise des Postes et Télécommunications (SCPT) aim to ensure compliance with international standards, including the Ramsar Convention protecting Lake Tanganyika.

PM, With  Ecofin Agency

La société Esengo Towers envisage d’investir 179 millions de dollars sur quatre ans pour déployer 1 000 tours de télécommunication à travers la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), afin d’améliorer la couverture du réseau mobile. L’annonce a été faite le 22 octobre 2025 par son directeur général, Jean-Philippe Léonard, à l’issue d’une audience avec le ministre des Postes et Télécommunications, José Mpanda Kabangu.

Créée en janvier 2025, Esengo Towers est une coentreprise détenue à parts égales par Orange RDC et Vodacom Congo. Sa mission est d’étendre la connectivité dans les zones rurales en construisant des stations de base alimentées à l’énergie solaire et équipées des technologies 2G et 4G. L’entreprise ambitionne d’ériger 2 000 tours sur une période de six ans.

La première station devait être opérationnelle avant la fin de 2025, mais le projet accuse du retard. La société ne dispose pas encore d’une licence d’exploitation. Selon Jean-Philippe Léonard, l’acquisition de cette licence constitue une étape clé pour la sélection des équipementiers et la mise en place du mécanisme de financement. Il prévoit désormais le lancement effectif des travaux en 2026.

Le directeur général d’Esengo Towers a sollicité auprès du ministre des Postes et Télécommunications l’appui du gouvernement afin de faciliter l’obtention de l’autorisation de l’Autorité de régulation des postes et télécommunications du Congo (ARPTC).

Selon le compte rendu du ministère, José Mpanda a assuré son hôte du soutien de l’État à cette initiative, tout en soulignant le déficit structurel en infrastructures de télécommunication. La RDC aurait besoin d’environ 300 000 tours pour une couverture optimale, contre 5 105 actuellement, réparties entre Helios (2 591), East Castle (711), Vodacom (1 433), Airtel (88), Orange (60) et d’autres opérateurs (222).

« Les 2 000 tours envisagées par Esengo Towers, bien qu’insuffisantes face aux besoins nationaux, représentent un apport significatif, notamment pour les zones rurales », a déclaré le ministre José Mpanda.

Orange RDC et Vodacom Congo partageront les infrastructures déployées par Esengo Towers en tant que locataires principaux pendant 20 ans. La coentreprise proposera également ses installations à d’autres opérateurs mobiles, afin de mutualiser les coûts et d’étendre la couverture réseau.

Avec ce projet, les deux opérateurs visent à offrir une couverture mobile à près de 19 millions de personnes, tout en réduisant la fracture numérique et en soutenant l’accès aux services financiers mobiles ainsi qu’à la croissance économique inclusive.

‎Ronsard Luabeya 

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Airtel et Vodacom s’allient pour renforcer la couverture et la qualité de leurs services 

Internet : comment l’accord avec SpaceX donne un avantage stratégique à Airtel en RDC

• OGEFREM confirmed the start of preliminary works for the Kalamba-Mbuji dry port in Kasaï-Central.
• The African Development Bank (AfDB) agreed to pre-finance feasibility studies for the project.
• The dry port aims to boost cross-border trade between the DRC and Angola, connecting to Lobito Port.

The Office for the Management of Multimodal Freight (OGEFREM) has announced the start of preliminary works for the construction of the Kalamba-Mbuji dry port, located in Luiza territory in the Kasaï-Central province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Regional Director Matthieu Tshilumba Kalenga disclosed the information on October 16, 2025, during a meeting with provincial governor Joseph-Moïse Kambulu Nkonko. He confirmed that funding for the initial phase is already available.

The preliminary phase will include securing the 70-hectare site with a perimeter fence and preparing the land for core infrastructure. Planned facilities include a parking area for heavy trucks, fuel stations, driver accommodations, and administrative offices for border control and public services. These will operate under a single-window system to simplify logistics and customs operations.

The announcement follows OGEFREM’s acquisition of property titles for the land in February 2025, ensuring full ownership and legal security for the project site.

Located on the border between the DRC and Angola, the future Kalamba-Mbuji dry port is designed to facilitate trade between the two nations. It will serve as a key logistical link connecting Kasaï-Central to Angola’s seaports, particularly Lobito. The initiative complements ongoing construction on the Kananga–Kalamba-Mbuji road, which aims to strengthen regional trade corridors and reduce transport costs.

In April 2025, OGEFREM’s Director General William Kazumba Mayombo announced that the African Development Bank (AfDB) had agreed to pre-finance feasibility studies for the Kalamba-Mbuji dry port. The studies will also cover additional logistics platforms planned in Matamba, Bilomba, and Mbulungu.

According to OGEFREM, the feasibility work will assess cargo traffic along key routes such as Kandiadi–Kamako–Tshikapa, Kandiadi–Tshikapa, and Tshikapa–Kananga, which are heavily used for cross-border trade.

This article was initially published in French by Ronsard Luabeya

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

La République démocratique du Congo (RDC) a finalisé, le 20 octobre 2025, un accord avec la société d’investissement United Investment LMT (UIL), basée à Maurice. Initialement signé en 2023, ce partenariat technique et financier, d’un montant estimé à 150 millions de dollars, vise à renforcer l’infrastructure numérique du pays.

Selon le média en ligne Scoop RDC, le projet comprend notamment la réalisation d’études de faisabilité, le déploiement de 60 000 à 80 000 kilomètres de fibre optique à travers le territoire national, l’installation d’un câble sous-marin d’une capacité de 192 térabits par seconde, la construction de trois centres de données, ainsi que la création d’une société nationale de télécommunications filaires et sans fil, dotée en équipements modernes. Le calendrier de mise en œuvre de l’accord n’a toutefois pas été précisé.

« La RDC a besoin d’au moins 40 à 50 000 km de fibre optique pour assurer la connectivité. L’accès à Internet est aujourd’hui inférieur à 30 %. Or, le président de la République souhaite que les 145 territoires du pays soient bien connectés à Internet. Je souhaite bonne chance à ce projet et j’apporterai tout mon soutien pour qu’il aboutisse », a déclaré José Mpanda Kabangu (photo, à droite), ministre des Postes et Télécommunications, lors de la cérémonie de signature des annexes de l’accord avec UIL, cité par Scoop RDC.

Le développement des infrastructures numériques et de la connectivité constitue l’un des quatre piliers du Plan national du numérique 2026–2030 (PNN2), qui vise à faire du pays un hub digital régional. Pour soutenir cette stratégie, le gouvernement prévoit un investissement public d’un milliard de dollars sur cinq ans, auquel s’ajoutent 500 millions dollars d’appuis extérieurs déjà garantis par les partenaires internationaux. La RDC explore également d’autres partenariats public-privés, notamment avec la banque nigériane Fidelity Bank, qui a manifesté son intérêt pour le financement du projet de satellite télécoms national.

À titre de référence, la RDC a obtenu un score de 31 sur 100 à l’Indice de développement des TIC 2024 de l’Union internationale des télécommunications (UIT), se classant 41ᵉ sur 47 pays africains. Selon la GSMA, environ 32 % de la population congolaise n’était toujours pas couverte par l’Internet mobile en 2024. L’organisation rapporte également que le pays comptait 9 631 km de fibre optique installée, avec 29 000 km supplémentaires en projet. Sur le plan de la connectivité internationale, la RDC est reliée à deux câbles sous-marins majeurs : WACS et 2Africa, d’après la plateforme The Submarine Cable Map.

Isaac K. Kassouwi, Agence Ecofin 

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Numérique : la RDC élabore un plan quinquennal de plus de 1,5 milliard $