Kinshasa, July 14th,2026 (CPA) – Eighteen young entrepreneurs, who have launched industrial transformation projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have been granted loans by the Industry Promotion Fund (FPI) as part of the ‘Vijana’ programme, it was learnt on Tuesday from an administrative source.
“The Industry Promotion Fund has just granted 18 loans to young entrepreneurs who have launched industrial transformation projects. Several contracts have been signed between the loan recipients and the FPI,” has said Hervé Claude Batunkoke, Director-General of the FPI.
For Mr Batunkoke, the aim is to make young people the nation’s greatest asset – a genuine driving force for growth, innovation, prosperity and development – adding that the Vijana programme aims to foster an economy based on local processing and competitiveness. This first cohort of young people to receive loans from the FPI will be supported and monitored by the institution’s technical teams to ensure the projects are successfully completed, he explained. He has noted that several contracts had been signed between the loan recipients and the FPI, in the presence of members of the government, including the Minister for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development and small and medium-sized enterprises, Justin Kalumba, acting as Minister for Industry. Vijana is a national programme designed to provide funding for young entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 35. The stated aim is to break down the glass ceiling that prevents this group of economic operators from accessing bank loans due to a lack of collateral.
It thus enables those with industrial projects and craftspeople to obtain loans of up to 50,000 US dollars from the FPI, guaranteed by the Congo Entrepreneurship Guarantee Fund (Fogec).
“The major change lies in the interest rate: 4 per cent per annum for repayment, compared with 6 per cent previously. This is a suitable solution for young people who were previously excluded from traditional financing due to interest rates deemed prohibitive by commercial banks. Alongside this reduction, the criteria for accessing loans have been relaxed to open the door to ordinary people who lack the means,” has explained the FPI’s General-Director.
A concrete step in support of youth entrepreneurship
For his part, Luto Nzolantima, Director-General of the Congo Entrepreneurship Guarantee Fund (Fogec), stated that this signing symbolises a concrete step in support of youth entrepreneurship.
“We are not simply signing financing contracts. We are taking concrete action to support youth entrepreneurship. The Vijana product illustrates the power of concerted public action: “The Industry Promotion Fund (FPI) provides the funding, whilst the Congo Entrepreneurship Guarantee Fund (Fogec) provides the guarantee,” he has said.
He pointed out that this partnership now enables young entrepreneurs to access funding without being held back by a lack of traditional guarantees. Since the launching of ‘Vijana’, the initiative has gained momentum. More than fifty projects have already been submitted across the provinces to the offices of the FPI and Fogec. ‘A national call for projects’ is expected to be launched in the coming days, we were told. CPA/