The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Africa’s largest producer of cobalt and one of the world’s most mineral-rich nations, is moving closer to launching its first stock exchange as the government seeks to build the financial infrastructure needed to attract investment beyond the mining sector.
The Central African nation has signed a cooperation agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, to support the creation of the Kinshasa Stock Exchange (KSE), a project that would give Congolese companies a formal platform to raise capital while opening a new frontier market to investors.
The move comes just months after the DRC raised $1.25 billion through its debut Eurobond issuance, marking the country’s first-ever borrowing on international capital markets and signalling a broader push to deepen its engagement with global finance.
Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba Likunde Li-Botayi signed the agreement in Kinshasa alongside IFC Country Director Malick Fall.
According to the government, the partnership will focus on six key areas: developing the regulatory framework for the exchange, building market infrastructure, strengthening technical capacity, facilitating knowledge transfer, expanding the investor base and supporting the market during its early years of operation.
