Kinshasa, October 13th, 2026 (CPA).– Wholesalers in Kinshasa were sensitized on Tuesday to the implementation of the reform governing small-scale trade and retail activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the National Economy, according to a statement consulted by the CPA. “Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of the National Economy Daniel Mukoko is continuing consultations on Decree No. 26/011 of March 30th, 2026, establishing measures governing small-scale trade and retail activities. In this context, he sensitized wholesalers and representatives of diplomatic missions in Kinshasa on Tuesday about the implementation of this reform,” the statement read.
According to the source, the minister said during the discussions that the reform aims to reconcile the protection and promotion of domestic entrepreneurship with the country’s attractiveness to foreign investment, in order to foster a better-organized domestic market and shared prosperity.
To this end, Mr. Mukoko recalled that the regulations seek to better organize the domestic market in line with the two objectives championed by President Félix Tshisekedi: promoting Congolese entrepreneurship and encouraging foreign investment. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the challenge is to build an economic model based on shared prosperity, in which economic operators work in an organized, fair environment conducive to value creation.
He particularly stressed the need to distinguish wholesale activities from retail trade in order to ensure fair competition among market participants. “The organization we are seeking is based on a simple principle: shared prosperity. It is unacceptable for an importing wholesaler to also sell goods at retail in the same neighbourhood as a retailer who buys supplies from that wholesaler. That is unfair competition,” Mukoko Samba said, according to the statement. The government official also stressed that the reform is gradually entering a new phase, characterized by checks to ensure compliance with regulatory provisions and the enforcement of penalties against operators who violate the rules.
“We have reached the stage where we will carry out inspections and begin imposing sanctions, because our objective is to better organize economic value creation,” he said.
He reiterated that opening the Congolese economy to investment and trade was in no way being called into question, but that such activities must take place within a clear regulatory framework defining the rights and obligations of each category of operator. The government also intends to continue dialogue with economic stakeholders and international partners, in compliance with the laws of the DRC.