Kinshasa, July 5th, 2026 (CPA). – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) services have estimated real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 5.6 per cent in 2026 for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following the latest assessments of their financial programmes, CPA has learnt on Sunday from a banking source.
“Following the third review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and the second review of the agreement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) for DRC, totalling approximately US$348.5 million, the IMF services are forecasting real GDP growth of 5.6 per cent in 2026,” we have read in the economic outlook note from the Central Bank of Congo (BCC). According to the source, the national economic activity is expected to remain robust and be driven primarily by renewed momentum in the non-extractive sector, particularly in construction and public works, services, and the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Furthermore, the local projections of the Standing Committee on Macroeconomic Framework (CPCM) are more optimistic, anticipating an acceleration in growth to 6.2 per cent in 2026, compared with an estimate of 5.7 per cent in 2025.
However, it is the consensus rate of 5.6 per cent that has been adopted under the programme with the IMF. This overall growth is expected to be driven by the strength of the extractive industries (non-ferrous metals), whose added value is forecast to rise by 9.4 per cent in 2026, compared with 8.7 per cent in 2025, capitalising on the rise in global demand for copper, cobalt and gold. At the same time, non-mining activities are expected to confirm their recovery, with growth forecast at 5.0 per cent, compared with 4.8 per cent the previous year. These conclusions follow the IMF Executive Board’s approval of a total disbursement of US$348.5 million under the FEC and the FRD. This new funding brings the cumulative amount of disbursements to DRC to nearly US$1.03 billion under the FEC. CPA/