The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) plans to develop a nationwide network of grain silos through its General Strategic Reserve (RSG). Under the 2026-2028 Public Investment Plan, the government intends to allocate 14.5 billion Congolese francs, equivalent to about $6.6 million at the average exchange rate, for the construction of these facilities.

Serge Mulumba Katchy, the coordinator of the presidency-linked institution, announced that a pilot project will be set up in Kimpese, in Kongo Central province. In November 2025, he travelled to Italy to meet with the supplier producing the equipment for this first site. He said the Kimpese project would have a minimum capacity of 5,000 tonnes of grain and that the same model would later be rolled out in the country’s other provinces.

This preparatory work followed a working session held in October 2025 with experts from U.S. consulting firm International Reliable Consulting (IRC). According to the RSG, the discussions explored potential cooperation on the implementation of the silos and the establishment of a seed bank.

Created by presidential decree, the General Strategic Reserve is tasked with preventing and managing crises by building strategic stocks of essential goods. It aims to support food security, stabilise prices and assist local producers by building and renewing reserves that can be mobilised in the event of a crisis, shortage or natural disaster.

In September 2025, the institution intervened in the maize market in Kinshasa, offering 25-kg bags of maize flour for sale at 35,000 Congolese francs. This was significantly lower than prices in the capital at the time, which ranged between 40,000 and 63,000 francs depending on quality. The operation, carried out in several markets across the city, aimed to ease pressure on households and stabilise prices during a period of market strain.

Timothée Manoke