Between February and March 2025, the African Development Bank (AfDB) issued general procurement notices for two major agricultural projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): the $311.6 million Projet d'appui au développement des chaînes de valeur (PADCV) and the $130.5 million Projet d'appui à la gouvernance et au développement des compétences (PAGDC). Together, these projects open up $442.1 million in public contracts covering works execution, goods acquisition, and consultancy services.
Tender documents are expected from March 2025, though detailed procurement timelines remain unclear. AfDB credits totaling $377.9 million fund the projects, with the balance provided by the Congolese government and stakeholders, and financing active through 2029. The overarching goal is to reduce food imports by 60% over five years, currently valued at around $3 billion annually.
PADCV and PAGDC form part of the Agricultural Transformation Program (PTA), a flagship $6.6 billion, ten-year (2023–2032) initiative by the Congolese government to modernize agriculture by boosting productivity, linking rural areas to markets, strengthening youth and women’s skills, and improving sector governance.
The PTA is being rolled out in three phases. The first phase, spanning three years and costing $2.3 billion, targets nine provinces-Kongo Central, Kwango, Maï-Ndombe, Kasaï Oriental, Lomami, Sud-Kivu, Tshopo, Sud-Ubangi, and Nord-Ubangi-selected for their agricultural potential and capacity to become production hubs.
On May 8, 2025, at the 42nd edition of Macfrut-the international fruit and vegetable trade fair in Rimini, Italy-the DRC officially launched the PTA’s operational phase and presented the PADCV and PAGDC procurement notices. A press release highlighted that “Italian companies, recognized for their technological lead in this field, are therefore called upon to play a major role.”
This article was initially published in French by Ronsard Luabeya (intern)
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
