• Leaked DRC contract reveals $30 airport security fee sparks backlash

• Government says fee already included in ticket prices, not new

• Securiport to get 85% of fees under airport security PPP deal
  

Controversy erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this week after excerpts of a contract between the government and U.S. firm Securiport leaked on social media, outlining a $30 security fee for air passengers.

The contract, signed by the DRC’s Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Transport, creates an integrated security and immigration management system. Article 38 of the agreement, which mentions a $30 fee to be charged to every arriving and departing international air passenger, sparked widespread criticism. Many users saw the clause as a new airport tax, coming amid growing public pressure to scrap similar levies such as the $50 international and $15 domestic “GoPass.”

Government Clarifies Fee Status

A Ministry of Interior official, cited by local media, explained that the fee isn’t new but is already included in the price of international air tickets to and from the DRC and collected by airlines operating under the IATA code. The funds, which previously went to various state agencies including the General Directorate of Migration (DGM), are now being partly redirected to finance the Securiport LLC contract.

Several airlines confirmed this version, saying they already pay embarkation and security charges to Congolese authorities. Fare breakdowns from carriers such as Qatar Airways, Uganda Airlines, and Kenya Airways show a security fee of $43.75, while Ethiopian Airlines charges $58 and Air France up to $66.

Funding Mechanism and Partnership Structure

Under the contract, the $30 security fee will now be deposited monthly into a joint account managed by the government and Securiport. An irrevocable instruction will require monthly transfers, allocating 85% of the total amount to Securiport to recover its investment and 15% to the Congolese state.

The agreement is structured as a Build-Train-Maintain-Transfer (BTMT) public-private partnership. Securiport is responsible for financing, designing, installing, and maintaining the integrated security and immigration management system. The system includes technological equipment, centralized migration data, and digital management of passenger flows at international airports, border posts, and ports across the country.

Securiport is also tasked with training agents designated by the two ministries. Once the contract expires, its duration was not specified in the circulated excerpts, full ownership of the infrastructure, equipment, and software will be handed over to the Congolese state.

Security Rationale and Company Background

The government presented the project as a necessary measure to enhance security against growing transnational threats such as document forgery, identity fraud, radicalized individual infiltration, and international criminal activity.

Virginia-based Securiport specializes in immigration control and civil aviation security. The firm operates in several African countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Gambia, where security fees range from $20 to $25. In Gambia, for example, 25% of collections are remitted to the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

No official statement has yet explained how Securiport was selected, though a source close to the executive said the process began about a decade ago following a public tender. The absence of a detailed government explanation continues to fuel public concern and debate.

Timothée Manoke, Bankable