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DRC Signs AUDA-NEPAD Country Office Agreement

The DRC and AUDA-NEPAD have signed an agreement to establish a Kinshasa country office supporting major projects and Agenda 2063 priorities.

August 7, 2026 at 1:39:50 PM

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Serge Kitoko Tshibanda

Political Analyst

Serge Kitoko Tshibanda

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The DRC and AUDA-NEPAD have signed an agreement to establish a Kinshasa country office supporting major projects and Agenda 2063 priorities.

KINSHASA, The Democratic Republic of the Congo has signed an agreement with the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development, known as AUDA-NEPAD, to establish a country office in Kinshasa.

President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo presided over the signing ceremony on August 6 at the Cité de l’Union Africaine. The agreement was signed by Minister of External Trade Julien Paluku Kahongya on behalf of the Congolese government and AUDA-NEPAD Executive Secretary Dr Nardos Bekele-Thomas.

Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, government members and representatives of international financial institutions attended the ceremony, underlining the strategic importance of the new institutional partnership.

The agreement represents an important step in the Tshisekedi administration’s effort to place the DRC’s development ambitions more firmly within Africa’s continental investment and integration agenda.

A Direct Bridge Between Congo and the African Union

The planned office will serve as a permanent technical link between the DRC and the African Union’s development system. Its role will include helping identify national priorities, align major projects with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and strengthen efforts to mobilise technical and financial partners.

That mission closely reflects AUDA-NEPAD’s official mandate. The agency supports African Union member states with technical assistance, project coordination, institutional capacity and resource mobilisation for regional and continental development programmes.

For the DRC, having this expertise represented in Kinshasa could make coordination faster and more consistent. Instead of engaging only through periodic continental meetings, Congolese institutions will have a closer technical channel for advancing projects from national priorities toward regional programmes and potential financing discussions.

The office is also expected to help connect government ministries, public agencies, development institutions, private investors and African Union structures around projects with benefits extending beyond Congo’s borders.