The World Bank is considering extending its Transforme project along the Lobito Corridor in the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zouhour Karray, the Bank’s Senior Private Sector Specialist, said after a two-week mission to the country.

Speaking in an interview published on the project’s YouTube channel on March 6, 2026, Karray said the initiative forms part of a corridor-based development strategy aimed at linking infrastructure investment with the growth of local entrepreneurship.

Three corridors are currently under consideration: the Lobito Corridor, the Kongo Central Corridor and an axis stretching from Mbuji-Mayi to Bukavu, which she described as a “peace corridor.”

Preliminary assessments have identified five cities in Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces as priority areas: Lubumbashi, Likasi, Kolwezi, Fungurume and Mutshatsha. Karray stressed that the selection remains provisional and that evaluations are ongoing.

The two-week mission focused on assessing the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, the region’s economic potential and the specific needs of SMEs, startups, women entrepreneurs and micro-entrepreneurs.

“In the coming stages, we will have a clearer picture of the instruments that will be deployed at the provincial level, as well as opportunities to support business climate reforms,” she said.

The preparation phase for the proposed expansion is expected to run until June 2026, with implementation planned to begin afterwards. The World Bank is also considering extending the project by two years and providing additional financing to support the scale-up.

The Transforme project was approved by the World Bank in May 2022 with a budget of $300 million. It aims to support the growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly those owned or led by women, through grants, improved access to finance and business environment reforms. The project is currently scheduled to close on Sept. 30, 2027.

In February 2025, national project coordinator Alexis Mangala said the project’s geographic scope was limited to the cities of Bukavu, Bunia, Goma, Kananga, Kinshasa and Mbuji-Mayi, as well as the Kasangulu–Muanda corridor, which includes Kasangulu, Kisantu, Mbanza-Ngungu, Kimpese, Matadi, Boma and Muanda.

If approved, the Lobito Corridor expansion would mark a significant new phase in the project’s deployment rather than a minor extension of its current footprint.

Ronsard Luabeya