Kinshasa, June 22nd, 2025 (CPA).- The European Union (EU) has granted €9 million to the French Development Agency (AFD) for the implementation of two waste management projects in the city of Kinshasa (capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and vocational training through support for the INPP (National Institute for Vocational Training) in the province of Kasaï-Central (center of the country), according to a statement from the French Embassy in the DRC consulted on Saturday by the CPA.
‘Two financing contracts totaling nine (9) million euros have been signed for the implementation of two projects aimed at supporting waste management in the city of Kinshasa and strengthening vocational training through support for the INPP in the province of Kasaï-Central,’ the statement said. According to the source, these two contracts were signed on Friday, June 20th, 2025 by Mr Antiono Capone, Head of Cooperation and acting Account Manager of the European Union in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ms Safia Ibrahim, Director of the French Development Agency (AFD), in the presence of Mr Israël Mutala, Chief of Staff to the Governor of the city, and Mr Godefroy – Stanislas Tshimanga, Director General of the National Institute for Professional Preparation (INPP).
‘The first contract, worth four million euros, is intended to strengthen ’To Petola » (let’s clean up), a project financed by a 15 million euro grant launched by the AFD in 2020 to help improve flood and waste management in three neighborhoods on the outskirts of Kinshasa: N’danu, Salongo and Abattoirs. These neighborhoods are built on the Nd’jili River, a direct tributary of the Congo River. The ‘To Petola project’ has already made major progress with the completion of labor-intensive works (HIMO), including the cleaning of more than 3,600 linear meters of collectors.
These works have generated 343 temporary jobs, 34% of which are held by women, » the source revealed. The rehabilitation and reinforcement of the collectors was then carried out on four collectors for a total length of approximately 3,050 linear meters, mobilizing nearly 1,000 temporary jobs, 16% of which were filled by women, thus strengthening the infrastructure while promoting professional integration. The third phase, which began in April 2025, aims to rehabilitate approximately 4 km of urban roads in the Salongo and Masina neighborhoods, install pumping stations and develop a sports field, the source continued. According to the document, the additional €4 million in funding provided by the European Union will enable the completion of structural improvements and enhance the environmental aspects of the project by rehabilitating approximately 3 km of central and covered drains, installing plastic bottle collection containers near the rehabilitated avenues, and optimizing the transport of recycled plastics by compacting them.
« The second contract, worth €5 million, awarded by the EU as part of the “United for Education and Employment” project, complements the €10 million in funding provided by France via the AFD. This funding will enable the renovation and equipping of INPP centre infrastructure in Kasaï-Central. With these two contributions, the European Union and France, via the AFD, are reaffirming their commitment to sustainable, inclusive and concrete development for the Congolese people, » the statement said. At the signing ceremony for these contracts, Mr Antonio Capone, Head of Cooperation and acting Business Manager of the EU in the DRC, said: ‘For the European Union, these contributions are important in that the first will enable the structuring of a local waste management sector, in addition to constituting a contribution that can be replicated in other countries in the region, and the second will help to offer better employment prospects, mainly for young people and women.’