The Democratic Republic of the Congo has allocated 799.32 billion Congolese francs in its 2026 budget for investments related to the transfer of mining assets under the Sino-Congolese contract. But as of June 30, 2026, no payment had yet been recorded on this line, although 32.96 billion CDF had already passed through certain stages of the budget execution chain.
Budget monitoring data reveals a particular situation: of the 799.32 billion francs planned, 32.96 billion were committed and liquidated, or about 4.1% of the credits. The same amount is reported at the authorization stage. However, actual payments remain at zero at the end of the first half of the year.
A mechanism different from classic public spending
This situation must be viewed within the particular mechanism governing the partnership between the DRC and Chinese companies. Resources intended for infrastructure are made available by SICOMINES, while their implementation is entrusted to subcontracting companies, particularly Chinese ones.
Thus, the recording of operations in the state budget does not necessarily mean that the corresponding amounts were paid by the Public Treasury. It notably ensures their traceability within the national budget framework.
This requirement also falls under the commitments made by the DRC to the International Monetary Fund. The IMF had notably recommended that revenues and expenditures related to SICOMINES be integrated into the budget in order to strengthen transparency and monitoring of resources dedicated to infrastructure.
Infrastructure as counterpart to the mining partnership
At the heart of this arrangement are several infrastructure projects, particularly road projects. The RN1 between Mbuji-Mayi and Nguba, the Kalamba Mbuji-Kananga axis as well as certain projects in Kinshasa are among the infrastructures concerned.
The actual completion of these works nevertheless remains a central point of the arrangement. In its analyses, the IMF noted delays in the execution of several projects included in the 2024-2026 programming, whose overall value was estimated at about 1.1 billion dollars.
From 3.2 to 7 billion dollars
Amendment No. 5, signed in March 2024, profoundly changed the financial framework of the Sino-Congolese contract. The envelope dedicated to infrastructure increased from 3.2 to 7 billion dollars.
The new mechanism notably provides for a reference annual contribution of 324 million dollars, calculated on the basis of a copper price of 8,000 dollars per tonne, as well as a royalty of 1.2% of SICOMINES’ annual turnover.
In the first half of 2026, the budget figures therefore mainly illustrate the need to distinguish the different stages of the financial chain: 799.32 billion CDF recorded, 32.96 billion committed and liquidated, but no payment recorded as of June 30. For the mining partnership, the issue now remains the traceability of resources and the completion of infrastructure expected in return for the mining assets concerned.
MB / LA GUARDIA MAGAZINE
Keywords: DRC, Sino-Congolese contract, SICOMINES, infrastructure, copper, 2026 budget, IMF, mining investments.
Photo: https://actualite.cd/2025/03/13/rdc-le-president-de-la-republique-et-le-gouvernement-appeles-soumettre-le-contrat-sino
About The Author
Commentaires