At a June 12 session of the National Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Communications Routes and Territorial Access Jean-Pierre Bemba answered a parliamentary question raised by lawmaker Saidi Balikwisha regarding the biometric driver's license program.

During the session, he revealed that the issuance of the new driver's licenses had generated nearly $23.9 million in revenue since the system was launched on Nov. 25, 2024.

According to Bemba, 50% of that amount, or nearly $12 million, went to the Congolese state. The remaining half was paid to Otojuste Sarl, the company responsible for producing and issuing the biometric licenses.

The minister said this revenue-sharing arrangement resulted from an amendment to the original contract signed with the company. Under the revised agreement, the Congolese state's share of revenue increased to 50% from 40%, while the private partner's share fell to 50% from 60%.

Bemba also said the private partner's investment is now valued at $102.1 million, compared with $86 million previously.

These changes come in addition to those previously highlighted by Bankable in an earlier article. The amendment notably increased the production target to 7 million biometric driver's licenses from the 5 million initially planned.

The number of issuance sites was also revised upward, rising to 23 centers nationwide from 20.

Rollout

Among the other concerns raised by lawmaker Saidi Balikwisha was the rollout of the system across the country. Since the official launch of the new biometric driver's license, only seven sites are currently operational in three of the Democratic Republic of Congo's 26 provinces. Those centers are located in Kinshasa, Kongo Central and Haut-Katanga.

Responding to that concern, Bemba said that under the partnership agreement with Otojuste, it is the government's responsibility to provide the facilities that will host the issuance centers.

He said letters had been sent to all provincial governors requesting suitable sites for their installation. According to him, only Kasai Oriental and Tshopo provinces have so far agreed to provide locations for the centers.

The minister said the centers planned for Kisangani and Mbuji-Mayi should become operational in the coming weeks, along with the one announced for Kolwezi.

Regarding North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, Bemba said insecurity linked to the armed conflict had delayed the rollout, even though the planned sites had already been prepared.

To maintain services in those provinces, he announced the installation of two centers in North Kivu, one in Beni, the province's temporary capital, and another in Butembo. In South Kivu, a biometric driver's license issuance center is expected to open in Uvira.

For the government, the gradual expansion of the network is intended to improve access to biometric driver's licenses while advancing its goal of nationwide coverage.

Timothée Manoke