DRC Agribusiness Forum` and Agriculture Transformation Programme (PTA)

4 and 5 October 2023 in Kinshasa. The Democratic Republic of Congo aims to invest $6.6 billion over ten years in its Agriculture Transformation Programme (PTA) to fulfil its commitment to becoming Africa’s breadbasket. The announcement was made at the "DRC Agribusiness Forum".

The Forum, held at the initiative of the DRC Government with the support of the African Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation, aimed to stimulate private sector investment in agricultural value chains and boost agribusiness in the agricultural-resource-rich Central African country. 

More than 700 people from 28 countries took part, including government officials, representatives of technical and financial partners, heads of public and private companies, investors and actors in the agricultural sectors.

At the event, the Democratic Republic of Congo presented its National Food and Agriculture Pact, made at the Food Sovereignty and Resilience Summit held in January 2023 in Dakar. The Pact is a product of the PTA.

Five main recommendations were made for developing agricultural value chains:

1. Adopt a sectoral and project-based approach, with real support from government (tax and administrative facilities, availability of basic socio-economic and energy infrastructure, etc.) for the revival of the agricultural sector.
2. Limit all charges, fees and taxes to a maximum of 25% of value for production and export activities.
3. Set up a sovereign wealth fund to support agriculture and agriculture hubs to support and advise small agricultural investors.
4. Strengthen the capacities and roles of decentralized territorial entities in the governance of the agricultural sector, ownership and effective application of the value-chains approach and sustainable agriculture, risk guarantee and mitigation mechanisms and access to finance.
5. Harmonize the regulatory framework for Special Economic Areas (ZES), Law on Basic Principles for Agriculture, Law on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).