• DRC plans $105.6 million universities in Kisangani and Mbandaka
• Contracts provisionally awarded to two construction consortiums
• Projects may face cement supply and logistics challenges

The construction of universities in Kisangani and Mbandaka could require a combined investment of about $105.6 million, according to two provisional award decisions signed by Higher and University Education Minister Marie-Thérèse Sombo and published on Feb. 16, 2026 on the portal of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARMP).

The Mbandaka contract was provisionally awarded to the Masiha Services SARL-CCE SARLU consortium for an estimated $54.7 million, while the Kisangani project was provisionally awarded to the ZS Africa Solutions SARL- SOAFRICO SARL consortium for $50.9 million.

Both decisions remain provisional. Congolese public procurement rules allow five business days for unsuccessful bidders to file appeals. If no challenge is lodged, or once appeals are reviewed, the awards can be confirmed and the contracts signed.

If the Kisangani contract is confirmed, ZS Africa Solutions would expand its presence in university infrastructure projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The company has been involved in several consortium contracts since 2022.

In March that year, a consortium including Building Blocks SARL, ZS Africa Solutions SARL and Société Probuild SARL secured a contract worth about $22.3 million to build infrastructure at the University of Bunia. The same group also won a $50.6 million contract to build and rehabilitate facilities at the National Pedagogical University (UPN) and the National Institute of Building and Public Works (INBTP) in Kinshasa.

Logistical constraints

Several media investigations have linked the company to other university projects, including in Kananga and Mbuji-Mayi, raising questions about the concentration of multiple university infrastructure contracts among consortiums involving the same firm.

In October 2025, ZS Africa Solutions said construction in Bunia was about 90% complete, while citing delays partly linked to difficulties sourcing cement. Company officials said some cement used on the site came from Kenya, with road transport taking several weeks because of security conditions and poor road infrastructure in the region.

Logistical constraints could also affect the future Kisangani project. Tshopo Province has no local cement production and relies mainly on supplies from Kongo Central via Kinshasa or imports from Uganda.

In June 2025, the Congolese Press Agency reported the expected arrival of 120,000 bags of cement in Kisangani to ease rising prices, with part of the shipment transported by river along the Congo River. The new university projects could increase demand in the local cement market and create opportunities for producers operating in the DRC, particularly those based in Kongo Central, the country's main cement production hub.

Timothée Manoke, with Bankable