This week, a major deal was sealed to modernize the industrial port of Kalemie, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The agreement was signed on April 1 between the Congolese government and a consortium comprising Jintai Mining PTE Ltd and Tembo Majengo Company SARL. Jean-Pierre Bemba, the Congolese Minister of Transport, and Ye Zhiyong, Managing Director of Jintai Mining, attended the signing ceremony.

While there are few details about the consortium’s selection as a partner on the project or the contract’s terms, Jintai Mining’s MD revealed that the project will be executed in two phases. According to Zhiyong, the first phase will require an investment of $70 million; he said the phase should be operational by the end of 2026. Once fully completed, the port will have a handling capacity of up to 2 million tonnes of cargo per year.

Strategically located on Lake Tanganyika, the port of Kalemie serves as a critical trade hub connecting the DRC with regional ports in Bujumbura (Burundi), Mpulungu (Zambia), and Kigoma (Tanzania). According to data from Kalemie’s shipping department reported by RFI in 2021, annual import traffic was estimated at nearly 60,000 tonnes, while coltan exports totaled just 2,400 tonnes per year. The port is considered an economic lifeline for Tanganyika province, which has limited industrial activity but growing trade demands.

 In an earlier effort to address these limitations, the DRC signed a $126.9 million modernization contract with China Gezhouba International Engineering. However, little has been disclosed about the progress of that project since its announcement.

Jintai Mining PTE Ltd, one half of the new consortium, is a Singapore-based company specializing in zinc and lead exploration and processing. Meanwhile, information on Tembo Majengo Company SARL remains limited.

This article was initially published in French by Ronsard Luabeya (intern)

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho