Kinshasa, December 11th, 2025 (CPA).-. Approximately 27 million people are food insecure in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), said the Deputy Director of the World Food Program (WFP) during a roundtable discussion held Thursday in Kinshasa on strengthening resilience and economic inclusion.« To give you a concrete idea, let’s take the case of our country. Statistics show that we have about 27 million people facing food insecurity. This means that every day, 27 million of our fellow citizens do not know for sure if they will have enough to eat. It is with these 27 million people that we are working, and this clearly shows the enormous scale of the task ahead of us, » said Ollo Sib, Deputy Director of the WFP in the DRC. According to him, this activity is extremely important for the WFP and its partners. « The goal is to discuss opportunities for collaboration that may exist between the private sector and our organization, whether in financial institutions, logistics, or agricultural processing. The private sector can provide complementary services, particularly in the cold chain, the processing of nutritional products, and support for school canteens where children must consume local products, » he added. Addressing distribution mechanisms, the WFP Deputy Director emphasized the importance of the contribution made by banks: “In some areas, we distribute cash when markets are functioning, and the financial sector plays a key role in this,” he acknowledged. For her part, Jessica Webe, Executive Director of the Global Compact DRC, said that the meeting aimed to strengthen synergies for sustainable transformation of the food sector. “This round table presents structural projects and business initiatives. It highlights opportunities for collaboration in financing, innovation, and logistics,” she continued.,“But beyond the exchange of information, the meeting allows us to identify together solutions adapted to the Congolese context. We expect concrete and achievable commitments,” she said.
An initiative with new momentum
In addition, John Kukulu, Director of the Planning Secretariat, on behalf of the Minister of Planning, welcomed this initiative, which marks the beginning of a new dynamic. “This roundtable, the first of its kind in this sector, is part of a vision that makes partnership with the private sector a strategic lever for sustainable and inclusive development. The DRC faces complex challenges: food insecurity, economic fragility, and social vulnerabilities. Resilience must be at the heart of any development strategy,” he said. According to Mr. Kukulu, the humanitarian situation and global economic conditions require increased collaboration between public actors, technical and financial partners, and the private sector in order to strengthen the national capacity to respond effectively to crises. This roundtable organized by the WFP was held under the theme “Strengthening resilience and economic inclusion in the DRC, mobilizing the private sector for sustainable partnerships with the WFP.” ACP/