• The DRC launched an international call for interest to build a national rail-manufacturing plant, with bids due by March 9, 2026.

• The project includes three industrial sites—Kisangani, Kinshasa and Banalia—covering steel rolling, machining, raw-material extraction and logistics.

• Authorities plan to structure the project as a PPP under BOOT or joint-venture models with international financiers including AfDB, EIB, World Bank, Afreximbank, TDB and Eximbank.

Congolese authorities considered assembling trains locally in October. They now take an additional strategic step.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) launched an international call for expressions of interest to create a national plant dedicated to manufacturing railway tracks. The Ministry of Transport, Communication Routes and Disengagement announced the decision under the signature of Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba.

The initiative complements the October 2025 plan to build train-assembly units in Matadi and Kalemie. The government designed those units to produce dozens of locomotives and wagons per year and to train local engineers and technicians.

The rail-manufacturing project covers three industrial sites: Kisangani, Kinshasa and Banalia. The Kisangani site will host the main unit equipped with hot-rolling mills to produce UIC54 and UIC60 tracks. The Kinshasa site will host machining operations, quality control and logistics for exports and western corridors. Banalia, located in Tshopo province, will focus on extracting and processing raw materials such as iron ore, limestone and metallurgical coal. The setup will also include electric-arc furnaces, metallurgical laboratories, test benches, a hybrid hydro-solar power plant and an industrial training center.

Le Gouvernement de la République démocratique du Congo, à travers son Ministère des Transports, Voies de communication et Désenclavement, lance un Appel à Manifestation d’Intérêt International (AMI) afin d’identifier et de présélectionner des partenaires techniques, industriels… pic.twitter.com/3QDQl2Aqf9

— Ministère des Transports RDC (@TransportsRDC) November 20, 2025

Authorities plan to structure the project through a public-private partnership (PPP) under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model or an industrial joint venture. The structure will involve the Congolese state, specialized industrial partners and international investors including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the World Bank, Afreximbank, TDB and Eximbank. A special-purpose vehicle (SPV) will handle the design, financing, construction and operation of the facility.

The announcement states that companies must submit applications before March 9, 2026. Submissions must include a letter of interest, a detailed consortium presentation, legal and administrative documents, technical references, financial statements for the past three years and a concept note outlining the technical approach, PPP financing model, technology-transfer plan and implementation schedule.

This article was initially published in French by Boaz Kabeya

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum