Highlights:

• Price of a 50kg cement bag drops from 60,000 FC to 31,000–33,000 FC
• Supply disruptions caused by May–June truckers' strike now resolved
• Prices may fall further if logistics normalize

Cement prices in Kinshasa have dropped sharply in recent days, returning to near pre-crisis levels following the end of a major truckers' strike that had disrupted supply lines across the Congolese capital.

From highs of up to 60,000 Congolese Francs (CF) (≈21 USD) during the strike, a 50kg bag of cement is now selling between CF31,000 and CF33,000 (≈11 USD), down 52.4%. In some areas like Kingabwa (Limete district), prices remain slightly higher, at up to CF35,000, but further reductions are expected if supply continues uninterrupted. A bag could sell for $10 according to some predictions.

The spike in prices was triggered by a logistics paralysis due to a truckers' strike that took place between late May and early June. The strike, sparked by a provincial government ban on daytime travel for trucks over 20 tons, caused a severe shortage in cement and drove prices to record levels.

Talks between national and provincial authorities, the Congolese business federation (FEC), and transport unions led to the suspension of the strike in June, allowing deliveries to resume and easing pressure on the market.

This article was initially published in French by Ronsard Luabeya, intern

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho