The African Development Bank, under the Programme for Improving Fisheries Governance and Blue Economy Trade Corridors in the Southern African Development Community Region (PROFISHBLUE), has officially handed over state-of-the-art laboratory equipment to the Democratic Republic of Congo's Bureau of Standards, marking a major step in strengthening the country's food safety, trade, and economic growth.
The nearly two dozen laboratory items handed over, on 22 August, include calibration weights, water distillers and centrifuge tubes. The equipment, procured by the PROFISHBLUE project, will enable the DRC to carry out accurate, internationally recognized tests on fish and fishery products. This upgrade directly addresses critical infrastructure gaps identified by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Gap Analysis Study, in which the Congolese Bureau of Standards participated, and which revealed significant needs in the fisheries sector - particularly human resources and laboratory equipment.
"This is not just about machines--it's about empowering national institutions to protect consumers, boost trade, and drive economic empowerment," said Edson Mpyisi, the Bank's Chief Financial Economist, during the handover ceremony. "By strengthening the backbone of quality assurance, we are laying the foundation for a more integrated and food-secure Africa."
To date, the Bank-funded PROFISHBLUE interventions have promoted the sustainable management of fisheries resources, improved food and nutritional security, facilitated intra-regional trade, and boosted adaptive capacity in the 16 SADC countries covered by the project. Overall, the project is expected to create 250,000 direct and indirect jobs through value chain activities.
Through the provision of assessment and standardization programs, processing and marketing infrastructure, fishing and harvesting strategies, and trainings, the project has promoted competitiveness in the retail and wholesale cross-border fish trade.
"By equipping the DRC's Bureau of Standards, we are ensuring that fisheries products meet continental and international benchmarks, thereby advancing African integration under the AfCFTA," said Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana, Secretary-General of the African Organisation for Standardisation. This standardization, he added, is a "vital step" in ARSO's mandate to harmonize standards across the continent.
Despite the SADC region's waters containing multiple marine commercial species of tuna, hake, squid, octopus, horse mackerel, abalone, shrimp, prawns, and lobster, the total production remains very low below 3 million tonnes annually, an estimated 2 percent of global production.
The PROFISHBLUE program, which will conclude in December 2025, is helping safeguard public health, ensuring high product quality, and unlocking greater access to regional and international markets.
The equipment donation highlights the power of partnerships, bringing together the Bank, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), and SADC.
It also sets a model for replication across Africa as countries work to harmonise standards and strengthen intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
"This is an investment not just in technology, but in people, prosperity, and Africa's shared future," Mpyisi said.
