Kinshasa, July 24th, 2025 (CPA).-Economic operators in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were made aware on Thursday in Kinshasa of the new procedures for controlling imported goods, during a meeting organised by the Federation of Enterprises of Congo (FEC) in collaboration with the Congolese Control Office (OCC).
‘This morning’s information and discussion session aims to raise awareness of the new procedures for inspecting imported goods before they are shipped to the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are convinced that this subject is, for many reasons, a matter of concern for several members,’ said Mr Thierry Ngoy Kasumba, Managing Director of the FEC.
The reform, which came into force on June 29th, concerns pre-shipment inspection (PSI), initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Trade. According to Congolese employers, several problems have been identified since its implementation, particularly in terms of processing times, the issuance of certificates of refusal of acceptance (ARA), and the provision of guarantees for the subscription of import licenses. ‘Today’s discussions demonstrate a shared desire to strengthen the partnership between the OCC and the FEC in order to improve the competitiveness of businesses,’ added Mr Thierry Ngoy Kasumba, calling for public-private dialogue ‘to find concerted and sustainable solutions’.
Some concerns rose
FEC members raised concerns about the response times of Veritas office (BIVAC), the service provider in charge of inspections, the communication of reports, and the withholding of foreign exchange monitoring fees based on certified value, which is contrary to current regulations. The employer representative welcomed the DRC’s ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the deposit of the related instruments with the World Trade Organization (WTO), seeing this as an opportunity for the country to benefit from technical support in the context of the modernization of international trade.
The information session was attended by a delegation from BIVAC, which is responsible for the technical implementation of the new provisions.
The advantages of the new import goods control procedures
The advantages of the new import goods control and inspection procedures were explained to participants by Bureau Veritas (Bivac). ‘There are several advantages. These new procedures make it possible to reduce loading times, optimize logistics and limit costs for exporters. This offers much greater logistical flexibility to exporters, who can anticipate the export and physical inspection of goods,’ explained Mr Olivier Lederer, Managing Director of Bureau Veritas (BIVAC).
He added that a free digital platform called ‘Veriates’ has been set up. It allows exporters and importers to track the status of their import licenses in real time. At the same time, Mr Olivier Lederer revealed that Veritas office ‘BIVAC’ acts as a service provider mandated by the OCC to verify goods for export to DRC. For his part, Kongolo Biakubangwa, head of the OCC’s import control department, explained that the new procedures are a continuation of the existing system, with a few adjustments. ‘We have incorporated the concerns expressed by operators into the chain from license application to the loading or unloading of goods. This is in their interest, but also to ensure the safety of the population. You will see that none of the concerns raised by the directors are really serious,’ he said.