DR Congo Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba pushes new fiscal reform in Senate

On 20 July 2026, Democratic Republic of Congo Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba defended a bill before the Senate that would amend the 2014 law governing fiscal, customs, para‑fiscal and exchange regimes for collaboration agreements and cooperation projects. The proposal seeks to create a clearer, more competitive and secure legal framework to attract strategic investments, citing the SICOMINES partnership with Chinese firms, the Inga dam projects and the Lobito corridor, and aligning with a strategic partnership agreement with the United States ratified in December 2025.

Key innovations include the establishment of a single‑window mechanism to centralise revenue management and reduce the multiplicity of intervening bodies, adjustments to VAT treatment, safeguards for capital transfers, a fiscal stabilization clause and new sanctions. The minister argued that the current law suffers from divergent interpretations, inconsistencies with state commitments and implementation difficulties that fuel tax and customs disputes, and asserted that the reform will enable the Congo to become an active player in globalisation rather than a victim of it.