DRC: A procedure for awarding an 11,500 km fiber optic network will soon begin
June 24th 2026
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains one of the least connected countries in Africa despite its vast territory and population of approximately 110 million. Internet access remains a challenge: it is expensive, unreliable, and unevenly distributed.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is preparing an international tender for the construction and operation of a national fiber optic backbone spanning over 11,500 kilometers, including 1,500 kilometers of international links. This network is intended to be one of the main infrastructures of the country’s Digital Transformation Project (PTN).
The process reached a new stage on June 19, 2026, in Kinshasa, with the opening of an early market mobilization workshop chaired by the Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs, José Mpanda. This meeting brought together telecom operators, investors, financial institutions, and technical and financial partners.
The workshop aimed to present the main guidelines for the upcoming tender, gather feedback from market participants, and prepare a transparent and competitive procurement process. The government intends to establish a contractual framework that will attract private investors while respecting the standards of the project’s financial partners.
Strengthening the digital infrastructure
The Digital Transformation Project benefits from $400 million in funding from the World Bank and €100 million in co-financing from the French Development Agency. The total budget represents approximately $510 million, based on the exchange rate used.
The future backbone is intended to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure and improve the DRC’s national and international connectivity. According to project officials, the network will include international links with several neighboring countries, including Angola, Uganda, Burundi, and the Central African Republic.
Beyond the fiber optic infrastructure, the program aims to expand access to digital services, reduce the cost of the internet, improve connectivity quality, and strengthen network resilience. It should also contribute to extending mobile coverage to underserved areas.
Digital public services
The project aims to facilitate access to digital services for over 30 million Congolese people and extend mobile coverage to 650 new communities or localities. It also plans to connect more public institutions and improve access to digital administrative services.
The program’s components include the connectivity of public institutions. A pilot phase involves connecting 35 strategic administrative offices in Kinshasa to a centralized system for managing and monitoring network performance.
The project also includes a component dedicated to improving connectivity across the country’s 145 territories. A pilot phase involves seven governorates and 44 administrative offices, with the aim of bringing digital public services closer to the population.
4G and 5G equipment
The government also plans to support the expansion of high-speed mobile coverage through the Universal Service Development Fund. The funding will be used to build new telecom sites, deploy 4G and 5G equipment, ensure the power supply for infrastructure, and strengthen transmission systems, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas.
For the Congolese authorities, the national backbone must become the framework for the country’s digital transformation. It must support the modernization of public administration, the development of digital services, financial inclusion, technological innovation, and improved connectivity across the country.
But the project remains in a preparatory stage. The international call for tenders has not yet been launched. The workshop on June 19th is more of a market consultation phase aimed at refining the technical, financial, and contractual arrangements before the publication of the tender documents.
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