DRC: A 2,100 km fiber optic river project signed with Genew Technologies
July 2nd 2026
With a territory the size of Western Europe, the DRC faces major logistical obstacles to developing its digital network. The Congo River offers a practical solution by serving as a corridor.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is exploring a new avenue to strengthen its national fiber optic network. On June 25, 2026, the government, through the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese company Genew Technologies for a fiber optic deployment project along the Congo River.
The announced project covers approximately 2,100 kilometers of infrastructure, including 1,700 kilometers of fiber optic cable along the Congo River, from Muanda to Kisangani, and nearly 400 kilometers of terrestrial connections. The objective is to create major connectivity corridors capable of strengthening the future national network.
According to the ministry, this infrastructure should utilize the Congo River and its tributaries as deployment corridors. This option would circumvent some of the land-based constraints that often slow down infrastructure projects in the DRC, including the vastness of the territory, the condition of the roads, logistical difficulties, and securing the routes.
The overall cost of the project is estimated at $1.5 billion, according to Genew Technologies CEO Wu Minhua. More than $400 million would be needed for the first phase. However, the ministry has not yet specified the project’s stages, financing structure, potential public funding, guarantees, repayment terms, or implementation schedule.
An integrated offer
This caution is understandable. At this stage, it is a memorandum of understanding, not a contract. The document formalizes an intention to cooperate, but does not yet establish that funding has been secured or that work will begin in the short term.
Genew Technologies, headquartered in Shenzhen, is presented as a company specializing in telecommunications solutions. Founded in 2005, it operates primarily in network equipment, telecom infrastructure, and digital solutions for businesses and public services.
As part of the memorandum of understanding signed with the DRC, Genew Technologies indicates its intention to leverage its expertise to provide equipment, deploy infrastructure, maintain the network, and train Congolese technicians. This training component is presented as a way to facilitate the project’s implementation and ensure its long-term viability.
This initiative comes amid intense activity surrounding the national fiber optic network. A few days earlier, the DRC launched a market consultation phase in preparation for an international tender for the construction and operation of over 11,500 kilometers of fiber optic cable, including 1,500 kilometers of international links.
Delay to be made up
This 11,500-kilometer project is part of the Digital Transformation Project, financed by the World Bank and the French Development Agency. It aims to strengthen national connectivity, link more provinces, and expand access to broadband across the country.
The relationship between the two initiatives has not yet been defined. The 1,700-kilometer river project could constitute a complementary corridor to the future national network, but its exact scope, financing, and legal status will need to be clarified.
The ministry justifies the urgency of these investments by the country’s low level of connectivity. According to data cited in its statement, mobile phone penetration reached 66% in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 0.7% for fixed-line networks. Mobile internet penetration was estimated at 30.4%, while fixed internet penetration reached 43%.
These figures illustrate the scale of the gap that needs to be closed to connect the country’s 145 territories. In the DRC, the connectivity deficit hinders the digitization of education, healthcare, public services, and economic activities. It also limits the state’s ability to deploy digital services in rural and isolated areas.
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