MSSZ, a subsidiary of Ivorian group SCHIBA, is expected to win a contract for the construction of a roughly 220-kilometer road segment connecting Kabinda in Lomami province to Ngandajika in Kasai Oriental province, the company said.

“Since the construction company MSSZ proposed to work with us, the Congolese population can now hope to see concrete achievements here, notably the construction of the road linking Kabinda to Ngandajika, as well as other work concerning the urban road network of Kinshasa,” Public Works and Infrastructure Minister John Banza said on Oct. 21, 2025, as quoted by the Agence Congolaise de Presse (ACP).

The state-owned news agency reported that the minister made the statement upon his return from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire where he met with the group's leaders and visited some of its active construction sites.

Prior to the visit, a SCHIBA delegation, led by Chairman and CEO Soro Nidjabedjan, was received in Kinshasa by Minister Banza. During that meeting, SCHIBA expressed interest in road and energy projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting its experience having completed over 1,200 kilometers of roads in Côte d’Ivoire.

Efforts are escalating to boost economic exchange between Côte d’Ivoire and the DRC. The matter was central to an audience held on Oct. 15 between the National President of the Federation of Enterprises of Congo (FEC), Robert Malumba Kalombo, and the Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to the DRC, Xavier Zabvi.

During their talks, the two officials acknowledged that, despite strong cultural ties, economic exchanges between the two nations remain limited, even with numerous existing opportunities, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Both parties agreed to organize a bilateral economic forum in 2026.

Boaz Kabeya