Kinshasa’s long-awaited central market, known locally as Zando, is finally nearing completion. Governor Daniel Bumba announced during a site visit on June 21, 2025, that the market could reopen in just over three months. He made the visit alongside members of the Provincial Assembly bureau.
Bumba reported that construction work has reached 90% completion. The remaining tasks include finishing 5,000 market stalls and installing septic tanks and boreholes to guarantee the market’s autonomous water supply.
This announcement comes after rising pressure from traders who recently mobilized to demand the reopening of the market. Authorities closed Zando in January 2021 to launch modernization work, a decision that initially triggered widespread public protests.
The central market overhaul stems from a public-private partnership between the city of Kinshasa and French firm Sogema. Construction was outsourced to the Chinese company SZTC. The project is backed by a $44.5 million loan from Sofibanque.
Although initial plans scheduled completion for November 2023, several factors caused delays. Among them were a late project start and complications linked to the development of access roads.
Despite setbacks, the scale of the market remains impressive. Spread over 80,500 square meters, Zando is expected to house 80,000 stalls, 40 cold rooms, 270 toilets, and 22 units for commercial banks. These figures were released in 2024 by former governor Gentiny Ngobila. He also projected the market could create "over 500,000 jobs."
According to the Public Expenditure Observatory (Odep) and the Congolese League Against Corruption (Licoco), the operating contract grants Sogema control of the market for 25 years. They called this duration “arbitrarily fixed, without prior study on financial, economic profitability, or environmental impact.” In contrast, provincial authorities defend the deal. They point to the quality and durability of the infrastructure, which they estimate has a lifespan of 150 years.
This article was initially published in French by Timothée Manoke (Intern)
