Autorité de régulation de la sous-traitance dans le secteur privé (ARSP), DR Congo's subcontracting regulator, on April 8, 2026, ordered four cement makers to cancel contracts with subcontractors deemed ineligible and remove them from their records. The directive paves the way for the reallocation of 408 contracts.

The decision follows an audit conducted by the ARSP covering the period from Oct. 12, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2025. The review initially identified 419 contracts awarded to ineligible subcontractors, compared with just 62 contracts granted to eligible companies, representing 12.9% of the total examined. After a further review, 11 companies met compliance requirements.

PPC Barnet had the highest number, with 221 contracts awarded to ineligible operators, followed by CILU with 98, CIMKO with 64 and CICO with 25. The figures show the scale of the potential restructuring in Kongo Central's cement sector.

Affected contracts

The contracts in question cover a range of activities, including transport and logistics, transit, cargo handling and industrial maintenance, as well as medical services, security, catering, information technology, advertising and certain construction works.

To avoid disruptions to production, the ARSP has given the companies involved 30 days to launch new tenders. The tenders must be open only to locally registered companies that meet eligibility requirements.

The move is part of efforts to enforce Law No. 17/001 of Feb. 8, 2017, on subcontracting, which reserves such activities for companies with majority Congolese ownership.

It comes as the ARSP steps up enforcement. In March 2026, port operator Matadi Gateway Terminal was ordered to cancel 50 subcontracting contracts found to be non-compliant. Similar measures have been taken in the mining sector, including against Kibali Gold Mine, the Democratic Republic of Congo's leading gold producer.

Boaz Kabeya