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