DRC Pushes Trade Corridors and Launches Kinshasa Stock Exchange

The Democratic Republic of Congo approved a revised $17.5 million budget for 2026 to accelerate the Great Lakes Trade Facilitation and Integration Project. The Inter‑ministerial Steering Committee, chaired by Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya, prioritized expanding the Lobito and Banana transport corridors, building and digitalising border posts and one‑stop customs facilities, and strengthening governance for the project, despite persistent security challenges in the east.

In a parallel step toward economic modernisation, the DRC signed an agreement with the International Finance Corporation on 18 June 2026 to create the Kinshasa Stock Exchange. Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba and IFC Country Director Malick Fall outlined plans for a domestic securities market that will broaden capital access for mining, agriculture, energy and manufacturing firms and allow ordinary Congolese citizens to invest in national growth. The initiative follows a recent $1.25 billion Eurobond issuance and seeks to reduce reliance on foreign debt, even as the country confronts ongoing instability from rebel groups in the Kivu provinces.