France to Promote Grand Inga at Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi

France plans to promote the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Grand Inga specifically the Inga III phase at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi on May 11–12, 2026, positioning the energy megaproject as part of a broader Africa–France agenda on investment, innovation, and development cooperation.

The diplomatic push follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on February 2 at the Palais de la Nation in Kinshasa between the French Development Agency (AFD) and the DRC’s Agency for the Development and Promotion of the Grand Inga Project (ADPI). Congolese authorities describe the agreement as a preparatory step designed to help ensure that the project’s rollout is accompanied by social and institutional readiness, particularly for communities expected to be affected by Inga III as reported by actualite.cd .

What the MoU covers: “prepare the country” alongside the project

According to the Congolese side, the protocol is structured around four pillars aimed at preparing the environment around Inga III:

• Skills and education: vocational training and higher education intended to equip young people for employment linked to the project’s ecosystem.

• Agriculture: support to strengthen inclusive growth and food security, with agriculture framed as a pathway for broader local benefits.

• Institutional capacity: measures focused on improving governance and transparency to manage the project’s scale and externalities.

• Spatial development: planning support tied to land use and territorial development, presented as a way to organize growth around the project area.

Nicole Bwatshia Ntumba, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President in charge of political, legal and diplomatic affairs, framed the approach as a dual preparation: “preparing the country for the project and preparing the project for the country,” while pointing to coordination with other partners cited in the project’s ecosystem, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

France’s message: high-impact infrastructure with sequencing

Speaking for France, Éléonore Caroit, Minister Delegate responsible for Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad, described Grand Inga/Inga III as a high-impact initiative that if delivered as planned should improve living conditions through expanded electricity availability, including for economic operators. France, she said, supports the phased approach that combines investment in generation capacity with broader stakeholder preparation.

That framing is expected to carry into Africa Forward in Nairobi, which France and Kenya have announced as an Africa–France summit focused on partnerships for innovation and growth.

Where Inga III sits in the wider financing landscape

The MoU also lands in a context where Inga III preparation has already attracted major development financing. In June 2025, the World Bank approved a $250 million IDA credit as the first phase of a $1 billion, multi-phase Inga 3 Development Program, aimed at groundwork investments in communities, infrastructure, and jobs steps the Bank describes as foundational to sustainable project development.

Source:actualite.cd