In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 43% of the economic activity is managed by women. However, many constraints limit Congolese women entrepreneurship. To support women's economic empowerment and reveal the potential of their businesses, AFD Group is financing the "Pour Elles" project with a 12 million euros grant.

The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) formed a strategic partnership to develop key economic value chains and improve the investment ecosystem in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These investments are a critical contribution towards reinvigorating economic growth in DRC and business acumen of Congolese businesses.

A financing package announced today from IFC and Proparco for digital infrastructure provider WIOCC Group will fund WIOCC’s expansion strategy in three African countries, enhancing the continent’s digital infrastructure and connectivity and supporting economic growth.

Aurora, a school with a social impact in the Democratic Republic of Congo Founded in 2012, Aurora Institute responds to the needs of Kinshasa's growing middle class and provides to their children a quality and affordable education that meets international standards. It now has 800 students. It was supported by the African Rivers Fund (ARF), managed by XSML Capital, in which Proparco has invested. Thanks to the support of ARF, Institut Aurora has one of the highest exam pass rates in the country.  

Through a €1 million investment in the company Nuru, Proparco is helping to improve access to clean and accessible electricity for households and businesses. Proparco thus illustrates the importance given to projects contributing to the fight against climate change, as well as its determination to work alongside innovative private players committed to improving access to essential goods and services in fragile countries.

Fifteen Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) met and vowed to work closely together to support the country’s private sector.

Nuru SASU (Nuru), the company behind Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s first solar PV metrogrid, is on track to build 13.7MWp of isolated solar-hybrid grids by mid-2024 after securing an initial USD1.5 million from investors in a convertible note round ahead of the close of its Series B funding round.

Proparco is providing Qualagric Asbl, a leading Congolese agri-operator, with a funding and technical assistance of EUR 400,000 to support the development of the cassava value chain in the region of Kinshasa. This package will fund the acquisition of improved seeds, relevant machinery and training for 750 small producers and farmers collaborating with Qualagric Asbl. It is expected that this initiative will promote resilient cultivation and sustainble irrigation techniques, improve the volumes and yield of cassava, increase processing and marketing capacities of the beneficiaries, and promote agro-industrial activities for young people and women in particular.

Equity BCDC and Proparco just signed a EURIZ 10 MEUR portfolio guarantee (denominated in USD) to support loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Just over a year after signing a first guarantee scheme for the benefits of Congolese SMEs affected by the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, Proparco and Equity BCDC are renewing their partnership.

Forests are important carbon sinks that play a vital role in maintaining the world’s ecological balances. However, population growth and urbanisation are intensifying pressure on forested land in the southern hemisphere. The combined effects of agricultural development and overexploitation of fuel wood are causing nearly 13 million hectares of forest to disappear every year, particularly in the forest basins of the Amazon, Central Africa and Indonesia.

Despite its exceptional mining resources, DRC is a Low-Income Country. The Congolese private sector is nevertheless resistant and continues to invest, with private companies playing a major role in the development of one of the most fragile countries in Africa. DRC’s Human Development Index (HDI) is one of the lowest in the world (0.46 in 2017) and it ranks as the 176th country out of 188.

Proparco - AFD Group

In November 2020, following a restructuring and sale process, Feronia sold all its shares in Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC) to the Straight KKM2 (KKM) fund.

Consequently, the AAF fund, whose minority shareholding stood at 13.5% of the capital, is no longer a shareholder of PHC in the Democratic Republic of Congo. AFD Group, an investor in AAF, no longer has any connection with PHC - Feronia.

After having already invested USD 5 million in the African Rivers Fund (ARF) in 2016, AFD Group renews its support to the XSML management team by investing USD 10 million in its third fund, African Rivers Fund III (ARF III). ARF III enables entrepreneurs in the DRC, Uganda and Angola to access the financing and support they need to strengthen and develop their businesses in regions often neglected by investors. This investment by FISEA, an AFD Group facility advised by Proparco, is part of the Choose Africa initiative dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship in Africa.

PROPARCO and IFC, two core members of the Alliance for Entrepreneurship in Africa (AforE), announce their intent to support the scale up of Nuru, an early-stage company which provides decentralized and low-carbon power solutions in DRC. At the same time, during the Summit for a new global financing pact in Paris, PROPARCO also announces its investment in the first close of E3 Low Carbon Economy Fund I (LCEF), based in Kenya. The alliance is fully focused on supporting early-stage companies that need assistance to scale up.

Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo - July 3, 2023 - Nuru, one of Africa’s pioneering renewable energy-powered metrogrid companies, has announced the successful close of over $40m in Series B equity funding and anticipates the close of an additional $28m in project finance by the end of the month. The funds will enable Nuru to commence construction on 13.7 MWp of projects, which will significantly expand its existing operating assets in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and help bridge the enormous energy gap in the country.