The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) plans to set up a support program for its exporters and producers. Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku disclosed the ambition on March 12, 2025, on X (formerly Twitter). The project, Paluku said, should help local exporters capitalize on trade agreements such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) with the U.S. and the recently signed trade pact with China.

"Our Congolese producers and exporters need innovative financing to strengthen their capacity to conquer these markets and thus improve our trade balance," Paluku stated.

To achieve this goal, the government plans to involve Equity BCDC, a bank in which the State holds a 12.17% stake. Paluku recently met with Hugues Efole, Equity Group’s Director, Payments and Cross-border Remittances. Spurred by the meeting, a technical commission comprising experts from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Equity BCDC was set up to implement the program.

Equity BCDC is a key actor supporting exporters in the DRC. It provides them with bridge financing and funding agricultural cooperatives for collection, processing, and export activities, facilitating their access to international markets. This new initiative builds on the government’s broader strategy to boost exports under AGOA. 

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

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho