Kinshasa, September 15th, 2026 (CPA).- Funding totalling 11.5 million euros has been released for the construction of five multi-sports grounds in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Director-General of Expertise France has announced on Tuesday during a visit to the German sports ground in Bandalungwa, a district in the centre of the Congolese capital.
“Through the ‘Pour Elles Sport et Culture’ and ‘Pour Elles Entrepreneuriat’ projects, which use sport, culture and entrepreneurial support as levers for the inclusion and empowerment of women and young people (…), funding totalling 11.5 million euros has been allocated for the construction of five (5) multi-sports grounds,” has said Jeremy Pellet.
“We expect this project, first and foremost, to lead to greater integration of girls, as this is a very important aspect of the programme known as ‘Pour Elles’. This is indeed the main focus: the integration of girls through sport and culture within the youth community. But more generally, it also involves working with all community stakeholders to ensure that these pitches benefit everyone,” he has explained.
Mr Pellet stated that: “These are local sports grounds, which is why we are also organising the tournaments we launched earlier, to ensure that sport truly serves as a vehicle for social inclusion, and for conveying messages about health, education and economic integration to all the communities in Bandalungwa, as well as those in other neighbourhoods where we are renovating and developing infrastructure.”
According to him, the aim is to ensure balanced and harmonious development in Kinshasa. Hence the importance, he said, of also working with all community stakeholders, “as we saw earlier”, to ensure the sustainability and continuity of activities on these pitches.
He noted that these stadiums are under construction in Bandalungwa, Kimbanseke and Lingwala – with one stadium for each of these municipalities – as well as two pitches in N’sele.
Capacity building: the focus of the Director-General of Expertise France’s visit
Furthermore, accompanied by the Deputy Director of Expertise France, Aurélie Delaroche, from September 14th to 16th, 2026, the strengthening of scientific, technical and health capacities was also a key focus of the Expertise France Director-General’s visit to Kinshasa, with a view to highlighting Expertise France’s commitment alongside the Congolese authorities. In the health sector, the ‘LABOH-KIN’ project, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by Expertise France, is helping to strengthen the network of laboratories in Kinshasa. With a budget of 12 million euros, it aims to improve access to high-quality laboratory services in five peri-urban health zones and to strengthen epidemiological surveillance. As part of the initiative to train the scientists and engineers of tomorrow, this same ambition guides Expertise France’s work in higher education through the Higher Education Support Project (PAES), funded by the AFD to the tune of 25 million euros.
The project supports the modernisation of engineering programmes, the strengthening of the teaching staff and the development of partnerships between Congolese and French institutions. The DRC is Expertise France’s primary country of operation in sub-Saharan Africa. Established in the country since 2022, the agency has had a Country Office in Kinshasa since 2024 and is active there in several areas, notably sustainable development, higher education, economic and social inclusion, health, governance, and peace and security.CPA