Kinshasa, September 1st, 2026 (CPA).- The retailers of school books on Avenue du Commerce in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have reduced the prices of several titles due to difficulties in moving their stock, CPA has observed on Tuesday during a brief tour. “We’re hardly selling anything. We have reduced the price of the books to at least recoup the money spent on buying them, to avoid making a loss. There is no way of attracting customers’ attention. We have started selling here a long time ago, but now they don’t want us here anymore. We are being chased away every day. How are we going to feed the children waiting for us at home?”, has lamented Jean Mbwete, a schoolbook seller. According to him, this price cut is aimed at clearing available stock and recouping some of the funds invested in purchasing the books, in order to limit losses. “So, the books ‘Pratique de français 3’ and ‘Pratique de maths 3’, which previously were sold for FC 45,000, are currently on offer at FC 35,000, whilst the books ‘À portée de mots, cycle 2’ and ‘À portée de maths, cycle 2’ are, for their part, sold for 75 US dollars,” he has added.
Rise in the price of copy books
The copy books
Furthermore, the prices of certain copy books have risen at the Grand Marche in Kinshasa, commonly known as ‘Zando’, as the start of the 2026–2027 school year approaches. “Prices have gone up compared to last year. On the same budget, it’s becoming difficult to buy all the school supplies required for the children,” has indicated Lydie Mbabuloyi, a mother interviewed on the ground. This increase particularly concerns copy books of various brands and sizes, the prices of which vary according to the number of pages and the quality. A small pack of 96-page exercise books, which was sold for FC 6,000 last year, is currently priced at FC 6,800 – an increase of FC 800. For his part, Baudouin Kazadi, a shopkeeper, has explained that this increase is largely due to rising supply costs and the economic climate. The demand seen as the start of the new school term approaches is also helping to keep prices high. This price fluctuation comes at a time when some shops in the Grand Marche are seeing relatively low customers, as many families are struggling to find the necessary funds to prepare for the new school term.