Kinshasa, May 21st, 2025 (CPA) – A memorandum of understanding on the construction of a Banana-Kinshasa motorway in the province of Kongo-Central was signed on Tuesday in Kinshasa between the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, through the Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works, and a private company, according to a press release consulted by the CPA on Wednesday. ‘On Tuesday, the Congolese government, through the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works, signed a memorandum of understanding with Zhongshi Wozen Technology Co LTD for the construction of a motorway along a new route. The new route will be determined after much more detailed studies between the port city of Banana in the province of Kongo-Central and the city of Kinshasa, passing through the port city of Matadi’, reads a press release from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works. According to the press release, the motorway will be built over a length of around 450 km, with the specified ancillary works, in accordance with modern technology. This will shorten the length of the motorway and improve the mobility of people and goods in the western part of the DRC, particularly in the center and south of the country, as well as completely modernizing the RN1 to increase trade in the region concerned. The company’s representative also spoke of the importance of this road, which will have a social and economic impact. ‘This road is going to bring a great change and development to the population in economic and social terms. In fact, the work starts tomorrow. We already know a lot about this work. What we’re doing is just formalizing the administrative side so that we can get on with the work in the field. So the work will start very soon’, the press release said.
The document emphasized that the technical team in charge of this project is made up of experts from the specialized structures of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works, including the Office des routes, the Congolese Agency for Major Works and the Bridges Department and roads of the administration of the Ministry in charge of Infrastructure and Public Work. This memorandum of understanding has been signed for a period of 12 months, six of which are for studies and the second for raising the funds to carry out the work, starting from the signing of the commercial contract. In addition, the Steering and Coordination Agency and Monitoring Collaboration Agreements (APCSC), a government structure, will work in contact with the contractor to monitor the design, planning, negotiations, financing and other aspects of this collaboration.