Petroleum activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are organized around the exploration / production, refining, transportation, storage and distribution of petroleum products.

Fuel supply and distribution is managed by SEP Congo (Service des Entreprises Petrolières Congolaises).

The stakeholders in the Oil industry are divided as follows:

• The refiner, transporter and storage (SOCIR AND SEP-CONGO)
• The GPDPP Group (Groupement professionnel des distributeurs des produits pétroliers (TOTAL ENGEN, Cobil, FINALog, SOFICO) for the marketing of petroleum products and lubricants
• The GENAPEP(Groupement des entreprises nationales pétrolières privées) / CPN COPENA, GNPP and others for marketing of petroleum products by the private sector
• The COHYDRO(Congolaise des hydrocarbures), Government Counsellor for Hydrocarbons.

DRC imports 100% of its petroleum products and 57 suppliers in the sector have been approved by the Minister of Hydrocarbons as of February 2012 (still in 2015). 

(Source: République Démocratique du Congo Ministère des Hydrocarbures)

Fixed installations in the country

Installed capacity 233.911m3 (until 2001) including:

• 5 (five) pumping stations (Ango-Ango, Lufu, Lukala, Inkisi and Masina)
• 9 (nine) Aviation depots (Ndjili, Lubumbashi airport, Mbandaka Airport, Mbuji-Mayi airport, Kananga airport, Goma airport, Kisangani Airport, Kalemie airoport and  Gbadolite airport)
• 26 ground depots interconnected by a network of HF radio telecommunications and GSM (Ango-Ango, Boma, Muanda, Kinshasa, Masina, Ilebo Lubumbashi, Mwene Ditu, Kananga, Mbuji-Mayi, Kikwit, Inongo Bandundu, Mbandaka, Kisangani, Businga, Bumba Isiro Kalemie, Kindu, Bukavu, Kalundu Akula, Bena Dibele, Aketi and Mungbere);

Information may also be found at: http://www.mytravelcost.com/petrol-prices/  which is updated monthly.

For information on Democratic Republic of Congo Fuel contact details, please see the following links:

4.7 Democratic Republic of Congo Fuel Provider Contact List

Fuel Pricing

Fuel pricing is controlled by the Government. Prices are set by the Ministry of Economy.

There are currently two orders that govern the fuel pricing in DRC:

• The Ministerial Decree No. 008/CAB/MIN-ECO & COM/2012 of 29 May 2012  fixing the price of land fuels (gasoline Super, Diesel, Oil and FOMI);
• The Ministerial Decree No 009/CAB/MIN-ECO & COM/2012 of 29 May 2012 fixing the price of aviation fuel (JET A1)

Fuel Prices (Ouest, Est, and Sud Regions) July 2022

Aviation Fuel Prices (Ouest, Est, and Sud Regions) June 2022

Seasonal Variations 

Fuel Transportation

Fuel supply and storage throughout the country is done using the following entry points:

• In the West (Bas-Congo): imported finished products (gasoline, diesel, jet A1, Avgas, oil, fuel and LPG) arrive  by tankers or by barge from the SOCIR refinery and are discharged to the oil port of Ango-Ango Matadi before being pumped through pipelines except for fuel and other oil which are transported by tankers.
• In the South (Katanga) finished products enter through Sakania and Kasumbalesa and are either discharged to the filing of Lubumbashi, or transported by railcar to Kolwezi  and Kasai (Mwene Ditu Kananga).
• In the East (North Kivu, South Kivu and North Katanga) imported finished products are discharged in Kalemie, Kalundu, Bukavu or Goma. But in 1997, SEP had momentarily lost control of imports in the east.

Products movement:

• Operating a pipeline network (6 of 718 km of which 2 of 6'' axis Matadi -Kinshasa (662 km), 2 of 6''  plus 1 of 10'' axis -Kinshasa Masina (44 km) and 1 of 6'' - axis Masina-Ndjil (12 km) annual pumping capacity (1.200.000 m³) and barges, tank wagons and  tankers at a respective installed capacity of: 800 m³, 5.454 m³ and 1.616 m³;
• Operating  a river network: 7 units including 5 pushers, one barge and one canoe;
• Operating a railway network: 132 units with 2 locomotives and 130 tank cars (axis Kasai and Katanga 112, Bas Congo - Kinshasa axis 18);
• Operating a ground network (road equipment and engineering equipment): 292 units including 53 carriers, 39 trailers, 35 tractors, 5 trays, 44 vehicles, 92 vans, 17 cars and seven motorcycles.

Customs clearance:

• Customs broker , public road transport of goods under Customs
• Official clearing and forwarding agent  of petroleum products ,
• 13 customs agents and 11 bonded warehouses approved by DGDA throughout the country;

Transportation in remote areas:

Some transporters used to going to hard-to-access places have equipped their special trucks with tanks. See 3.2 Democratic Republic of Congo Transporters for more information.

Standards, Quality and Testing

The DRC labor code (Article 40) provides that in case a daily worker has completed twenty two (22) working days over a period of two (2) months, the new contractual commitment entered into will be deemed concluded as a permanent contract. One should comply with the legal duration required by the law. Some organizations, mainly NGOs apply a shift system after completion of 15 working days in order to comply with the law. As far as UN agencies are concerned, contracted labor unions are used.

Telecommunications in DRC is under the Ministère des Postes, Télécommunications et Nouvelles Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (PTNTIC) and managed through four structures : 

• The Société congolaise de fibre optique (SOCOF) created in 2016 and oversees the construction, management, operation and maintenance of the fiber optic infrastructure. 

• The Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Telecommunication du Congo (ARPTC), an independent administrative authority created in 2002 with the key role of ensuring compliance with laws, regulations and conventions in the telecommunications sector. 

• The Réseau National de Télécommunications par Satellite (RENATELSAT) was created in 1996 and oversees the management and maintenance of the domestic satellite telecommunications network. 

• The Société Congolaise des Postes et Télécommunications (SCPT) was created in 2008 and is responsible for the postal service. 

For more information on telecoms contacts, please see the following link: 4.11 Additional Services Contact List. 
 

Telecommunication Regulations

ARPTC is the regulatory authority in charge of managing, delivering authorizations and to control the frequencies. Explanations and procedures are available here for VHF-HF frequencies and here for VSAT.

Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems 

The United Nations agencies have a national telecom system under the same umbrella and managed by UNDSS (United Nations Department of Safety and Security). A common radio room is operating 24/7 from Kinshasa. 
 

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

In 2019, the DRC government launched the Plan National du Numérique “Horizon 2025” (Cabinet du Numérique) to reduce the digital divide with the aim of boosting economic growth and industrialization, reducing poverty and improving people's lives.  

The country records an internet penetration rate of 17,6% of the global population in 2021 (Source ARPTC) which represents barely 12 to 15% of Congolese connected to internet. 

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) 

The cell phone is currently one of the main means of communication. In 2022, four MNOs (Vodacom, Orange, Airtel, Africell) are operating in DRC with valid licenses until 2038-2039. The mobile networks only covers the main cities (e.g. Kinshasa, Matadi, Goma, Lubumbashi, Kananga, Bunia, Kalemie ) and many vast parts of the territory have no signal as are generally considered unprofitable spaces.

Source: GSMA

For information on MNOs please visit the GSM Association website. 

Mobile money solutions are rapidly growing over the last decade as getting cash to and from the bank is a severe problem, especially in the provinces where the security situation is volatile. During the last quarter 2021, the mobile money turnover realized by the four operators reached 53,312,934 USD (Source ARPTC).

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.  

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider. 

Democratic Republic of Congo Food Suppliers, Accommodation and Other Markets

For information on Democratic Republic of Congo Food Suppliers, Accommodation and Other Markets contact details, please see the following link:

4.2.9 Democratic Republic of Congo Additional Service Provision Contact List

Main Food Suppliers

The most commonly eaten food is cassava (also known as manioc). The leaves are also eaten as a vegetable.

In addition, there are:

• Wheat (flour);

• Vegetables (fresh leaves)

• rice

• alcoholic beverages (beer)

• Fresh and preserved fish (frozen mackerel, especially mpiodi)

• plantain

• oils and fats, especially palm oil,

• corn grain

• chicken

• Sugar

• The beef

• beans

• peanut.

• Smoked fish, salted and dried

Local markets in general in the conflict-prone eastern part of the country are generally very thin (poorly supplied) as people are often afraid to travel to distant markets and thus mostly live on their own subsistence crops. Furthermore, given the generally insecure conditions, there is very little storage of food maintained for fear of theft and looting of supplies. For all practical purposes, the DRC is virtually a landlocked country. Situated on both sides of the Equator, seasons alternate between the north and south in the country, ensuring a more or less steady supply of food. One consequence of the geography and seasonality of the DRC is that almost no basic food stocks (cereals) are maintained in the country, and the availability of cereal stocks may last for at most a maximum of one month. Although there is plentiful storage capacity, most of the capacity is poorly utilized and poorly maintained. (Source: Profil des marchés pour les évaluations d’urgence en sécurité alimentaire)

Accommodation

There are many hotels and hotels in Kinshasa