Kinshasa, January 29th, 2026 (ACP). – The progress of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s bid to host the African regional office of the Centre for Arbitration and Settlement of Disputes between Investors and States (BCCR-RDIE) was on the agenda of a meeting on Thursday in Kinshasa, according to a press release. ‘This meeting followed a request from the Minister of Justice to inform the Head of Government of developments in the matter and to strengthen political involvement at the highest level of the State,’ the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
According to the source, this meeting, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister for the Budget and the Deputy National Coordinator of the Technical Reform Committee (CTR), enabled the BCCR-RDIE Task Force, set up by the Government, to present the progress made and the next steps to be taken to consolidate the DRC’s position vis-à-vis other African candidate countries. According to Aimé Kasenga, Deputy National Coordinator of the CTR and Executive Secretary of the BCCR-RDIE Task Force, the Advisory Centre is a very important body because it supports States in legal representation, legal assistance and capacity building.
He believes that it enables countries, especially developing countries, to access internationally renowned law firms at affordable costs. For the DRC, he said, it is a tool for protecting and strengthening its legal sovereignty. For the deputy national coordinator of the CTR, this center is part of a major reform undertaken by the United Nations in the area of dispute settlement between States and investors.
« The United Nations has embarked on a profound reform of the current system. It is no longer just a matter of private arbitration as with ICSID, but of establishing a permanent mechanism with an appeals chamber. States now want a more balanced, transparent and fair system. The DRC wants to be at the heart of this new international legal architecture, » he explained.
African competition, but a search for consensus
The DRC is not alone in the running. Other African countries, including Ghana, Egypt, Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire, have also submitted their candidacies. The aim now is to arrive at a single African candidacy, in accordance with the principles of the African Union. « At the level of the African Union, the principle is clear: consensus is preferred.
It is in this context that His Excellency the President of the Republic has written to his counterparts to seek their support for the DRC. We are in a phase of discussions, negotiations and high-level diplomatic lobbying to harmonise African positions, » explained Aimé Kasenga. According to the Task Force, hosting this Regional Office in Kinshasa would give the DRC increased international visibility and strengthen investor confidence. ‘The DRC is a large country with immense economic and mining potential. Hosting this center in Kinshasa sends a strong message: that of a country that wants to reassure investors, that wants to manage disputes effectively and that fully assumes its international commitments,’ explained Aimé Kasenga.
The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the Budget Adolphe Muzito, acting on behalf of Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, in the presence of several members of the government and technical officials involved in the dossier.