The African Development Bank will loan $159.5 million to DR Congo for road upgrade projects that will improve access to the Ngandajika Agro-Industrial Park.
Located in a province of about a million residents some 900 miles from the capital Kinshasa, the park is a pilot project for agricultural development, one the AfDB described as “a major milestone for Central Africa’s economic integration and for advancing agricultural industrialization in the DRC.”
While often noted for being rich in critical minerals, especially copper and cobalt, DR Congo relies on agriculture to employ over 60% of the population. Nearly a fifth of the country’s GDP comes from the sector. The Congolese government will provide co-financing to meet the road project’s total cost of $177 million, the bank said.