DRC-AFC: $877 million granted to launch the Metrokin urban railway

Kinshasa, October 14^th, 2026 (CPA).- A sum of US$877 million has been granted on Monday to build a double-track electrified railway line linking the city centre to the capital’s main airport, following a signing ceremony in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, two strategic agreements establishing major partnerships with the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), aimed at rolling out the Metrokin network. The first document, a Joint Development Agreement (JDA), formalises the funding for the very first phase of the ambitious Metrokin project. As part of the modernisation of its transport infrastructure, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has signed, on Monday in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, two strategic agreements establishing major partnerships with the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), aimed at rolling out the Metrokin network and reviving the Kinshasa–Banana railway line, according to an official document published on Tuesday.  “The first document, a Joint Development Agreement (JDA), formalises the financing of the very first phase of the ambitious Metrokin project. Worth US$877 million, this phase aims to build a double-track electrified railway line linking the city centre to the capital’s main air gateway. This first stage involves the construction of a double-track electrified railway line, fully fenced along a 25-kilometre route, linking the Central Station to N’Djili International Airport,” the document from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Regional Development has specified. According to the source, the first document – a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) – formalises the funding for the very first phase of the ambitious MetroKin project. With a budget of 877 million US dollars, this phase aims to build an electrified double-track railway line linking the city centre to the capital’s main air gateway. In addition to the main line and sidings, the planned infrastructure includes modern civil engineering structures: “The works for this first phase also include eight stations meeting international standards, 52 footbridges, a thermal power station, new bridges and drainage works, as well as a large railway viaduct designed to span the 30 June Boulevard,” the same source has informed. These documents have been initialled by the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Transport, Communications and Regional Development, Jean-Pierre Bemba, and the Chairman and Chief Executive of the AFC, Samaila Zubairu, in the presence of the Minister in charge of the portfolio, Julie Shiku, as well as executives from Metrokin. The document specifies that the second document consists of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) concerning the preparation and financing of the feasibility study for another railway line vital to the national economy. “This study will determine the arrangements for the development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the future railway line linking Kinshasa to Banana,” it is read. All of these initiatives form part of the overall policy to modernise transport networks initiated by the Congolese authorities. “These projects are directly in line with the vision of the President of the Republic, Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, which aims to modernise transport infrastructure and strengthen connectivity to promote the socio-economic development of DRC,” the text has concluded. With time, the Metrokin network is set to cover a 300-kilometre route across the city-province of Kinshasa to ease urban traffic congestion.