South Kivu Infrastructure Projects Resume as World Bank Lifts Suspension, Boosting Great Lakes Regional Trade
A series of major trade and transport infrastructure projects in South Kivu will resume after the World Bank lifted a months-long suspension prompted by insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The decision was announced on June 24, 2026, during the sixth regular meeting of the Interministerial Steering Committee for the Great Lakes Trade Facilitation and Integration Project in Kinshasa.
The meeting was chaired by Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, construction had been suspended because of insecurity linked to the conflict in the Uvira area.
The World Bank authorized the resumption of works after security conditions improved and progress was recorded on the ground.
With funding secured, construction will restart on several key projects, including the rehabilitation of Kalundu Lake Port, the construction of border posts at Kavimvira, Sange and Luvungi, and the development of the Kavimvira cross-border market on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
The projects are being implemented under the World Bank-financed Great Lakes Trade Facilitation and Integration Project, which aims to modernize trade infrastructure, facilitate cross-border commerce, and strengthen regional value chains.
The initiative places particular emphasis on supporting small-scale traders, especially women who depend on cross-border trade for their livelihoods.
Expansion to Strategic Economic Corridors
During the meeting, the interministerial committee approved a revised 2026 budget of $17.5 million and adopted measures to strengthen project governance and accelerate implementation.
The committee also endorsed extending the Great Lakes Trade Facilitation and Integration Project to the Lobito and Banana economic corridors as part of a broader strategy to develop regional trade and industrial corridors.
The expansion is expected to extend the project’s impact beyond existing border posts by integrating it into a wider framework for trade facilitation and regional economic development.
Projects located in areas currently under occupation will remain part of the program but will only proceed once security conditions allow, according to the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
In addition, the committee recommended that the World Bank support a proposed green corridor initiative in the Greater Équateur region and finance the construction of digitally equipped one-stop border posts in Haut-Uele Province.
Simplifying Cross-Border Trade
During the meeting, Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya called for the implementation of the Simplified Trade Regime between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, with Uganda expected to join the arrangement in the future.
The Simplified Trade Regime is designed to reduce administrative barriers and make cross-border trade more accessible for small-scale traders and border communities, promoting formal trade while supporting local economic development.
The Great Lakes Trade Facilitation and Integration Project is financed through a $250 million World Bank package shared among the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
Of the total funding, $152 million has been allocated to the Democratic Republic of Congo, $90 million to Burundi and $8 million to COMESA.
The project forms part of broader regional efforts to modernize border infrastructure, reduce barriers to trade and strengthen economic integration across the Great Lakes region.
