Democratic Republic of the Congo: the African Development Bank discusses with the government the rapid development of the Inga site and the launch of Inga 3

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

15-Jan-2020

"We come to reaffirm our partnership with the African Development Bank and its leadership in the effective and rapid implementation of the Inga 3 project", said Monday, January 13 in Abidjan, Sele Yalaghuli, Minister of Finance of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The high-level consultation workshop, devoted to the development of the Inga site and the launch of the Inga 3 project, mobilized several senior Congolese government officials and the Bank team in charge of the project. The DRC relies on the partnership with the Bank as well as on its leadership.

The discussions held between January 13 and 14 focused on the Inga site, the optimal development of which will allow the Congo to establish a roadmap for the development of the Inga 3 project, with a capacity of 4,800 MW.

"My presence at the Bank's headquarters is a strong signal to move to a stage of concretization of the development of the Inga site," said Eustache Muhanzi Mubembe, Minister of State, in charge of Water Resources and Energy. The minister recalled that his country's presence at the African Investment Forum 2019 organized by the Bank in South Africa, has strengthened its commitment and determination, "because we have to break with the rhetoric and go quickly. ", he added.

He also praised the catalytic role of the Bank, in particular, through the financing of studies for the Inga 3 project, as well as in numerous energy projects, which have enabled more than 50,000 Congolese households to access lower cost electricity.

The workshop made it possible to carry out an inventory of the project and to review the selection process for private partners as well as the review of the request. Much of the discussion focused on issues related to acquisitions and private sector financing. Taking into account the experience acquired on the development of the Inga project, the Bank suggested an initiative aimed at adopting a medium and long-term strategy for the preparation of future development phases of the Inga site.

Interim Bank Vice President, Energy Sector Wale Shonibare stressed the need to optimize the development of the potential of the Inga site for the benefit of the DRC, the region and all African continent. He also reaffirmed the Bank's commitment to maintain its leadership and unfailing support for the realization of "this integrative project".

“Inga is an opportunity for our continent, which can no longer continue to live in the dark. Now is the time to take action. Thanks for trusting us ! " did he declare.

The Director of the Bank's Regional Integration Department, Moono Mupotola, sees the Grand Inga project as a panacea for Africa to advance the production capacities of the DRC and other African countries. "The Grand Inga project will certainly strengthen regional energy integration, in order to develop large competitive energy markets on the continent, especially in this context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECA)".

The recommendations for the strategy for launching the Inga 3 project, the guidelines for setting up the project and the support measures from the workshop will serve to set concrete milestones for this major project.

The DRC, with an area of ​​2,345,000 km², has abundant hydroelectric resources estimated at more than 100,000 MW across the national territory, of which 42,000 MW are concentrated in Inga, in the province of Kongo Central (west), on the Congo River.