Rail transport: Signing of a USD 257 million concession contract in the DRC

Kinshasa, July 6^th, 2025 (CPA)- A concession contract worth 257 million US dollars was signed on Friday in Kinshasa, for the rehabilitation and modernization of the Kisangani-Ubundu railway section, in the north-central part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a press release consulted by the ACP on Saturday. ‘We are delighted to have signed this concession contract for the first phase of the Kisangani-Ubundu railway under the aegis of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Transport, Communication and Opening-up. As the feasibility studies were conclusive (…), work will start in 15 days‘ time’, said Gabriel Madua Masudi, Chairman of Masco Energie, quoted in the press release. According to the source, the works are scheduled to take 36 months over a length of 115 kilometers, with the aim of completing the infrastructure by 2028. The project is being financed to the tune of 257 million US dollars (USD), and represents a significant step forward in the national strategy to revitalize the Congolese rail network. The signing of the contract marks the transition to the operational phase of a key project to open up the north-east of the country, following on from the memorandum of understanding signed a few weeks earlier for the rehabilitation of the Kisangani-Ubundu and Kindu-Kalemie railway sections. It is also in line with the Government of the Republic’s vision of strengthening national integration by modernizing transport infrastructure, according to the press release. The contract was signed between the Democratic Republic of Congo and a consortium comprising the South Korean company KECC and the Congolese company Masco Energies, with financial support from the Equity BCDC bank.