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DRC economic and labor market reforms

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-29 09:48 UTC → 2026-10-06 06:19 UTC · added removed

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Suminwa II Government has initiated a series of economic reforms focused on domestic production, trade modernization, and labor market restructuring. Initial efforts centered on protecting local industries through safeguard measures for 17 products, such as cement products and mining coal, to prevent dumping. The government also prioritized prioritizing agricultural revitalization to reduce food import dependency, targeting sectors like rice and maize production. revitalization. International trade efforts included ratifying the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and securing new agreements with the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Subsequent developments expanded these reforms into the labor and entrepreneurship sectors. The government announced sectors through the digitalization of the National Employment Office (ONEM) to improve job seeker accessibility and mandated that job offers be processed through the agency. To foster youth employment, the ‘three Cs’ strategy—capacitation, credit, and contract—was introduced to support entrepreneurship through training, financial guarantees, and market access. strategy for youth employment. Additionally, a policy was established to reserve up to 40% of public contracts for Congolese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Building on these structural reforms, the DRC government has SMEs, supported by $475 million in approved the ratification of three loan agreements totaling $475 million. These funds are designated for specific social and economic initiatives, including $200 million for women's entrepreneurship and SME upgrading, $200 million for the Emergency Project for Equity and Strengthening the Education System (PERCE), and $75 million for a multisectoral nutrition and health project (PNLS). Recent administrative initiatives aim to initiatives. To strengthen the data foundation for these policies. policies, Kinshasa Governor Daniel Bumba has called for public cooperation with the second phase of the second General Population and Housing Census (RGPH-2), an effort (RGPH-2). Complementing this, President Félix Tshisekedi has ordered the launch of the 2026 National Business Climate Barometer to collect reliable data for measure the first time in over forty years impact of reforms and identify obstacles like administrative delays. Recent regulatory measures have also targeted consumer rights and retail trade. The Ministry of National Economy launched ‘LOBA’, a digital platform and WhatsApp chatbot designed to aid planning in infrastructure, education, allow citizens to report abusive practices and social services. track complaints. Furthermore, under decree n°26/011, small-scale and retail trade activities are now reserved exclusively for Congolese nationals, though ten capital-intensive categories remain open to foreign investors subject to a non-objection notice from the Ministry of National Economy.

Versions

  1. 2026-10-06 06:19 UTC DRC economic and labor market reforms
  2. 2026-09-29 09:48 UTC DRC economic and labor market reforms
  3. 2026-09-12 11:45 UTC DRC economic and labor market reforms
  4. 2026-09-09 12:14 UTC DRC economic and labor market reforms

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