Tshisekedi Orders Tougher Enforcement of DRC Subcontracting Law

President Félix Tshisekedi has ordered tougher enforcement of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s subcontracting rules, increasing pressure on major private-sector companies accused of keeping Congolese entrepreneurs away from valuable contracts.

The instruction was given to the new director-general of the Authority for the Regulation of Subcontracting in the Private Sector, known by its French acronym ARSP, during a meeting at the Cité de l’Union Africaine in Kinshasa on Thursday, July 23, 2026.

After the meeting, ARSP chief Ted Beleshayi Kasanda said the President had asked him to be firm and uncompromising toward companies that circumvent the law.

The stated goal is to turn subcontracting into a practical route through which Congolese-owned companies can win contracts, build expertise, create jobs and retain more economic value inside the country.

However, the announcement is an enforcement directive, not proof that new contracts have already been transferred to Congolese businesses.

No inspection programme, list of offending companies, new sanction, recovered contract value or implementation deadline was announced.

What Tshisekedi instructed the ARSP to do

According to reporting by the Congolese Press Agency and RTNC, Tshisekedi directed the ARSP’s new leader to clean up the subcontracting sector and enforce the law more strictly.

Beleshayi said the President wanted action against practices that weaken the national economy and prevent Congolese companies from receiving the opportunities protected by law.

“The Head of State asked me to be firm and uncompromising in the fight against bad practices in the private sector, particularly against companies that circumvent the law,” Beleshayi said in remarks reported after the meeting.