• The DRC plans to invest CFA14.5 billion to build cereal storage silos nationwide.
• A pilot silo with 5,000-ton capacity will be built in Kongo Central.
• The project aims to strengthen food security and price stabilization.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), through its General Strategic Reserve (RSG), plans to roll out a nationwide network of grain silos to store cereals. Under the Public Investment Plan for 2026–2028, the government intends to allocate 14.5 billion Congolese fancs, or about $6.6 million at the average exchange rate, for the construction of these facilities.

The RSG coordinator, Serge Mulumba Katchy, said a pilot project will be installed in Kimpese, in Kongo Central province. In November 2025, he traveled to Italy to visit the supplier tasked with manufacturing the equipment for the first site. He said the Kimpese facility will have a minimum storage capacity of 5,000 tons of cereals. The same model is expected to be replicated in other provinces across the country.

This preparatory work followed a technical meeting held in October 2025 with experts from U.S.-based consulting firm International Reliable Consulting (IRC). According to the RSG, discussions focused on potential cooperation for the construction of the silos and the creation of a seed bank.

Established by presidential decree, the General Strategic Reserve is tasked with preventing and managing crises through the buildup of strategic stocks of essential goods. Its mandate includes supporting food security, stabilizing prices, and backing local producers by building and renewing reserves that can be mobilized in the event of crises, shortages, or natural disasters.

In September 2025, the RSG had already intervened in the maize market in Kinshasa. It sold 25-kilogram bags of maize flour at 35,000 Congolese francs. At the time, prices in the capital ranged between 40,000 and 63,000 francs, depending on quality. The operation, carried out in several markets across the city, aimed to ease pressure on households and stabilize prices during a period of market tension.

Timothée Manoke, Bankable