The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB Group) met on 17 January 2024 in Abidjan and approved the 2023-2028 Country Strategy Paper (CSP) for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The CSP aims to reduce fragility through inclusive and sustainable structural transformation driven by industrialization and job creation for women and men.
To achieve these goals, the new CSP identifies two priorities. The first is the installation of sustainable infrastructure to support agricultural and industrial value chains, and the second is to improve the quality of human capital and the business climate to support social inclusion and private sector growth in the DRC.
"The Country Strategy Paper 2023-2028 has been through a very intensive process of consultation. It capitalizes on the achievements of strategy implementation in the past and targets further structural transformation in order to reduce fragility," said Serge N'Guessan, AfDB Director General for Central Africa.
To achieve the first priority, the AfDB will support the development of value chains in key sectors - the cultivation of cassava, maize, soya and rice. It will also assist transport projects, which combine infrastructure and related works, to link producing regions with markets. In the energy sector, the Bank will promote public-private partnerships, including the provision of a partial risk guarantee for the construction and operation of a 118-megawatt power plant.
These initiatives broadly seek to reduce food insecurity and food imports to the DRC by enhancing the performance of its agricultural value chains.
To achieve the second priority, the Bank will help consolidate reforms in governance and skills development for youth employability and entrepreneurship. Specific targets include qualification and employability of young people, access to financing, and improvement of the business climate. The focus points for governance are capacity building for professional insertion in value chains and local governance of decentralized territorial entities.
As of 30 September, 2023, the Bank's active portfolio in the DRC comprised 27 operations (21 national and 6 regional) for a cumulative commitment of USD 1.45 billion.
