The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARMP) published a decision on March 4, 2026, concerning the contract for the acquisition and installation of equipment to digitize payments for the Infrastructure Development Tax, known as the Go-Pass. According to the document, the contract was awarded to Mayeles SAS for a total amount of $4.069 million including tax. The decision was signed on March 2, 2026 by Blaise Londole Lokoy, Director General of the Régie des Voies Aériennes (RVA), the state-owned company that manages airports in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The award remains provisional. Under Congolese public procurement rules, unsuccessful bidders have five business days to file an appeal. If no appeal is submitted, or once any challenges are reviewed, the award may become final and the contract can be signed.

The project stems from an international tender launched by the RVA on September 23, 2025, for the supply of machinery, hardware and software to digitize the collection of the airport tax. The initiative aims to replace the current collection system, which relies on paper coupons issued to passengers after payment.

Addressing systemic revenue leakage

The manual system has frequently been criticized for control failures. These include booklets with identical serial numbers in circulation, parallel coupon issuance channels, and persistent difficulties in tracking the total revenue generated by the tax.

During the Makutano Forum in November 2025, Transport Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba said two banks had submitted offers to finance the digitalization project. He presented the reform as a way to secure Go-Pass revenue by allowing passengers to pay electronically and obtain a QR code for airport inspections.

Under the planned system, electronic gates will allow travelers to scan their QR codes before accessing boarding areas. The mechanism is intended to ensure direct tracking of payments by the RVA.

Official documents do not provide detailed information about Mayeles SAS. However, public business registries indicate that a company with the same name, established in 2019 and registered in Créteil, France, has been listed as dissolved since July 8, 2025. That entity operated in the rental and leasing of personal and household goods. These details relate to the French-registered company and do not rule out the existence of other companies using the same name in other jurisdictions.

Authorities have not disclosed how many airports will be covered by the contract awarded to Mayeles SAS. The transport minister previously indicated that the digital Go-Pass system would first be deployed at the country’s international airports.

Timothée Manoke