• The Agriculture Ministry and Swiss firm Mole Group signed a PPP deal on Sept. 30.
• The $1 billion project will cover 105,000 hectares and produce 700,000 tons yearly.
• It aims to cut food imports, create 20,000 jobs, and boost food sovereignty.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has signed a public-private partnership (PPP) with Swiss company Mole Group to launch the Mbanza-Ngungu Agro-Industrial Park, a project worth $1 billion. The agreement was formalized on September 30 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

First announced in September 2024, the park is expected to break ground in the summer of 2026, with construction scheduled over four years, according to local outlet Infos27.

The project will cover 105,000 hectares in Kongo Central province, including 85,000 hectares of farmland dedicated to crops such as cassava, maize, wheat, rice, and sugarcane. Authorities say the park will produce about 700,000 tons of processed foods annually, including wheat flour, sugar, maize flour, milled rice, and cassava flour.

If completed, the park could ease the country’s food deficit and lower its heavy reliance on imports. Data from the central bank show that between 2019 and 2023, food imports cost the country an average of $1.79 billion per year.

“We are creating more than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs and laying the foundation for sustainable agriculture that can generate income for local communities while strengthening the DRC’s food sovereignty,” said Gandi Mole, CEO of Mole Group.

Officials also see the PPP as a potential model for future investment in agriculture. The country has 80 million hectares of arable land, of which only 10% is currently farmed.