Kinshasa aims to leverage duty-free access granted by London to push cocoa, coffee and spices onto the British market.
DRC Minister of Foreign Trade Julien Paluku Kahongya launched the United Kingdom – Democratic Republic of Congo Chamber of Commerce in Kinshasa, in the presence of diplomats and business leaders. The body stems from a trade agreement signed in November 2025 and is intended to serve as a permanent platform linking business communities in both countries.
Under the agreement, Congolese products now enjoy duty-free access to the British market. Cocoa, coffee and spices are among the first export sectors targeted.
At the launch ceremony, the minister made two requests: the reinstatement of a direct British Airways route between London and Kinshasa, and a stronger presence of British companies in local processing of raw materials — not just extraction.
« We need British companies to help us transform the economic ecosystem of our country, process our raw materials here and allow us to export them with added value, » Paluku said.
The DRC, the world’s second-largest copper producer and top cobalt supplier, is seeking to diversify its trade partnerships beyond China and the United States amid a global reshuffling of critical mineral supply chains.
Source: Radio Okapi
