Good News Africa Sarl signed a public-private partnership (PPP) contract with the Office des routes on Feb. 12, 2026, for the concession of National Road No. 27 (RN27). The agreement covers the asphalting of the 258-km Komanda-Mahagi route in Ituri province, the company said in a statement.

The statement added that the project has been submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office, via the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works, for approval.

The project received clearance from the PPP Management Advisory and Coordination Unit (UC-PPP) in June 2025. The UC-PPP estimates the total project cost at approximately $1.54 billion, a figure that appears to reflect the project’s overall value over its lifetime rather than initial capital expenditure alone. Investment requirements are estimated at $408.3 million, or about $1.58 million per kilometre.

At a public meeting in Bunia on July 18, 2025, Good News Africa officials said the concession will run for 25 years, including five years of construction and 20 years of operations. A memorandum of understanding signed on Aug. 13, 2024, specifies that the project will follow a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. The company will finance and build the road, operate it to recover its investment, and transfer it to the Office des routes at the end of the contract. The UC-PPP document classifies the agreement as a “public works and services concession.”

To ensure financial viability, the operator plans to install automated toll booths and weigh stations to protect the road surface.

Although the PPP was signed by Good News Africa Sarl, the entity named in the UC-PPP document, sources said as recently as July 2025 that construction would be carried out in partnership with Congo Eveil Logistique. The two companies, led by entrepreneurs from Ituri, said they had commissioned an asphalt plant and a crushing facility in the Tsere area, west of Bunia. Valued at $2.8 million, the facilities have production capacities of 200 to 300 tonnes of aggregates per day and 180 tonnes of asphalt per hour, respectively.

The Komanda-Mahagi road is a strategic artery for Ituri province. It runs through the territories of Komanda, Irumu and Djugu to the Mahagi border post, linking the Democratic Republic of Congo with Uganda. The corridor is a key supply route for Bunia, bringing in manufactured goods and petroleum products from Uganda and Kenya, and serving areas with strong agricultural and commercial potential. However, the stretch between Mahagi and Bunia is regularly cut off due to severe road deterioration, disrupting trade flows and pushing up consumer prices in Bunia.

Timothée Manoke