In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the parliament is reviewing the draft of the 2025 finance bill. During the bill’s presentation to the deputies, Congolese Prime Minister, Judith Suminwa noted a 13% increase in the budget for agriculture. "There is a 13% increase in resources for agriculture," she said.

For now, it is not known if the increase will apply only to agricultural production or if it will also cover inputs purchase, building storage and processing infrastructure, and transport routes.

In her budget guidance letter to government members, PM Suminwa said the resources allocated to agriculture should help increase the sector’s share to 10% of gross domestic product (GDP), in line with the Maputo Convention. The official stressed the importance of considering the entire value chain and maintaining and constructing 10,000 kilometers of agricultural roads across the country.

The Ministry of Agriculture is one of seven ministries eligible for results-based budget management with program budgets. The Ministry of Rural Development as well.

From 2024 to 2026, these two ministries will receive 7,316 billion Congolese francs (around $2.6 billion). The government's ability to effectively use these funds for agricultural development will be crucial. Although recent reports from the Minister of Finance highlighted some efforts, challenges remain, such as high wage expenditures and the need to improve actual payment processes.

Compared to 24, the draft finance bill for 2025 proposes a 21% budget increase, bringing total resources and expenditures to 49,847 billion Congolese francs (just over $18 billion). To meet these goals, the government plans to enhance tax revenue collection and benefit from higher commodity prices to increase royalties.

Georges Auréole Bamba

Foreign exchange transactions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where Congolese francs are primarily exchanged for US dollars, are on the rise, with commercial banks taking on a larger role. 

By the end of August 2024, the DRC’s central bank reported $8.62 billion in transactions, with an impressive 93.9% conducted by banks. In 2023, these institutions managed 92.7% of the $10.3 billion in foreign exchange transactions.

The main source of foreign currency for these banks is the US dollar, enabling them to offer exchange rates that closely align with the international market while maintaining lower margins. Additionally, they have successfully narrowed the gap between buying and selling currency costs. As a result, it has become more advantageous to conduct foreign exchange transactions through banks rather than bureaux de change, which are experiencing a decline. In 2023, exchange bureaux processed $7.7 million in transactions, but this figure plummeted to just $2.28 million in 2024, according to the central bank.

In the DRC, exchange bureaux are categorized into three types: national operators, provincial ones, and individual dealers. The latter group has been particularly hard hit by new regulations requiring Central Bank authorization—something many Congolese lack due to missing documents like national identity cards.

It's important to note that the Central Bank's figures only reflect officially reported data. Given the large informal economy in the DRC, some unregulated currency traders likely continue to operate. However, commercial banks have proven effective in this sector.

This year, Congolese authorities announced measures to reduce dollar usage in the economy, but the current monetary system complicates this transition. As of August 2024, over 49% of Congolese franc bills in circulation were in denominations of 20,000 and 10,000 francs, limiting access for individuals whose goods or services are priced below these amounts.

Consequently, lowering inflation to sustain purchasing power for low-income households remains a challenge, while speculation on the dollar continues to be strong. A decade ago, CDF900 bought $1.

George Auréole Bamba

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo aims to make the country a top international tourist destination by 2030. To attract 10 million visitors and create between 200,000 and 500,000 jobs, social networks have been identified as a key tool, along with other services.

On September 11, Augustin Kibassa Maliba, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs, highlighted the importance of social networks for promoting the country's image internationally. "We, Congolese, are key tourism players to ensure that our country is visited by investors. Beyond the efforts made by the government, we have a responsibility to speak well of the Congo to our children... We must know that the image we want to build must first be carried by future generations," Maliba said during a Forum to Validate the National Tourism Strategy.

Maliba also mentioned that new telecommunications laws now allow for the prosecution of offenses committed through social networks: "We're in the process of educating the Congolese about what's in these texts that protect us all, including the country's brand image. When the time comes, we'll tighten the screw because it's not normal to see what's happening on social networks."

During the recent China-Africa Cooperation Forum held in Beijing from September 4 to 6, the DRC signed a memorandum of understanding with an undisclosed Chinese company for a social network monitoring system. Commenting on the matter, Maliba clarified that this would not involve blocking networks or closing accounts; instead, it aims to encourage quality content production as part of the country's branding strategy.

The DRC's economy heavily relies on natural resources like lithium and cobalt. However, in line with International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommendations, the country now seeks to diversify its economy. 

Tourism contributes less than 2% to GDP, according to the Congolese Ministry of Tourism, and 1.8% according to the World Travel and Tourism Council in 2024.

Muriel Edjo

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) received 65,000 new doses of Mpox vaccines on September 10. They add to the 200,000 doses received over the past week. 

The US and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, supplied the new batch. They respectively shipped 50,000 and 15,000 doses. The doses received the week before came from the European Union. 

According to the Congolese minister of health, Samuel Kamba, the DRC needs 3.5 million doses of vaccine. The country, the official indicated, expects 215,000 doses from Belgium and 3 million from Japan. For now, however, details about these negotiations are unknown. 

Data from the National Institute for Public Health shows that since January, Mpox has infected nearly 22,000, and killed 716 people in the DRC. 

To fight the disease, the DRC has drawn a $49 million strategy. Minister Kamba said the money will be used for awareness-raising campaigns, dispatch teams on the field, and take care of the infected. The strategy, however, does not involve funding vaccination. Meanwhile, the vaccines are scarce and expensive. 

Roger Kamba, the Minister of Health, in this regard, noted that it would cost $700 million to secure 3.5 million doses. That corresponds to about 4% of the DRC’s budget. Financing the vaccines could thus exacerbate budgetary pressures, not only in the DRC but in all African countries hit by the epidemic, according to Fitch Ratings.

Preventive measures to control the spread of the virus could slow down economic activity in the DRC. However, an uncontrolled outbreak would have negative economic impacts not only for the DRC but also globally. This is because the DRC is a major supplier of minerals critical for the energy transition. 

To avoid such consequences, international cooperation and support is urgently needed. The international community should help the DRC manage the health crisis while minimizing disruptions to the economy and global supply chains.

Georges Auréole Bamba