Kinshasa, Monday July 28th, 2025 (CPA) – Strategies for developing a company to build and manage intermediate rental apartments for the middle class were discussed on Monday in a Master’s thesis in entrepreneurship presented and defended at the School of Management of the Catholic University of Congo (UCC) in Kinshasa (capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo).
« These are economic strategies and models based in particular on the construction of rental houses and apartments, the sale of apartments to be triggered, pure long-term rental, rental management, construction, commercialization and marketing strategies, in short, the action plan for launching a pilot project in 2026 based on this entrepreneurial research, » said entrepreneur Thierry Ikamba Boongo, author of this Master’s thesis. The recipient made strategic recommendations to managers wishing to invest in this sector and to the Congolese government, including the design of functional apartments, the use of local materials, the implementation of digital and professional rental management mechanisms, and a communication plan for working-class neighborhoods.
The recipient also highlighted strong demand from a middle class willing to rent apartments but demanding in terms of quality of life, and an existing housing supply that is largely insufficient in terms of quality and quantity. According to him, the preferred type of housing in Kinshasa is two bedrooms, followed by one bedroom and three bedrooms, with a target monthly income of USD 150 to 400, with priorities being security, water, electricity, and internet, proximity to work or transport, and affordable prices. Monthly tenant incomes range from USD 450 to 1,200.
The UCC School of Management for skills development
In addition, Professor Edgar Makunza Keke, director of the UCC School of Management, said that ‘the development of skills and general professional abilities in our program. enable learners to integrate into the business world’. According to him, this program represents an open door to self-employment, professional transformation and the transformation of one’s immediate environment. He went on to say that this program, developed within this higher education institution, also guarantees equitable training, specifying that it organizes two exams at the end of July to obtain an academic master’s degree after the presentation and defense of a thesis. And at the end of October, an international diploma is awarded upon the presentation and defense of a project based on the thesis. The UCC School of Management offers courses in entrepreneurship, environment, development, public health, environmental health, ethics, leadership and management, according to the information provided.