Delegates on a five-day trade mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are discovering significant and untapped opportunities in the country’s agriculture, manufacturing, and logistics sectors. The mission, organized by Equity Bank, brought together participants from over ten countries to explore investment prospects firsthand.
The trade mission is part of Equity Bank’s broader Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP), which has seen the bank conduct more than 40 trade missions over the past four years, 15 of them to the DRC alone.
During a site visit to Jambo Farming Company, delegates were impressed by the scale of its operations. The farm, which spans 4,500 hectares of maize and is expanding into wheat, uses heavy-duty, highly mechanized equipment to manage the region’s challenging soil and short rainy season. Despite an annual output of 22,000 tonnes of grain, the farm and two others combined supply only 7% of the maize demand for the Katanga region.
“This tells you there is a huge gap waiting for investors,” said Vishal Fatania, a Director at Jambo. He emphasized that the region is ripe for large-scale farming, with a shallow water table making irrigation highly viable.
Paty-Paterne Mushagalusa, EquityBCDC Associate Director for Commercial Projects, contextualized the opportunity. “The three biggest farming companies barely supply 10% of Katanga’s maize demand,” he explained. “This means there is an opportunity for others to emulate them and seek financing. With the right syndication, Equity can advance up to $4 billion.”
Delegates also toured Hyper Psaro, a bottling plant in Lubumbashi that produces soda, juice, and milk. The plant faces significant logistical challenges, with goods destined for the capital, Kinshasa (2,300 kilometers away), taking up to two weeks to arrive by road and even longer during the rainy season. Production is further hindered by frequent electricity outages, forcing the plant to rely heavily on generators.
“Transporting goods to the capital is a logistical nightmare,” said Augustine Masheke, the Safety and Health Manager. These challenges, coupled with a massive demand that far exceeds supply, highlight a lucrative need for investment in manufacturing and distribution networks.
Esther Thongori, CEO of Lohim Company, saw immense potential in logistics, particularly in waterworks and machinery leasing. She pointed to Equity Bank’s role as a supportive partner, providing financial solutions and cross-border account management that ease business expansion.
Dr. Ishaq Buya, a real estate developer from Mombasa, was also impressed, noting that the DRC’s agricultural practices, particularly its use of mechanization and economies of scale, could serve as a model for Kenya. He also identified other sectors, including hospitality, education, and health, as being ripe for investment.
Equity Bank has been a central player in supporting businesses in the DRC, dedicating 35% of its lending to agriculture under the ARRP and demonstrating the capacity to finance large-scale projects.