Project management firm GED Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Ministry of Infrastructure, and DRC building firm Agence Congolaise des Grands Travaux finalised the 25-year concession agreement (CA) outlining the infrastructure development requirements of the DRC segment of the GED Africa route on April 11. The signing of a parallel agreement with Zambia was planned for this month.

“Together, these two concessions will form a transport corridor providing multiple economic benefits for people across the region and beyond,” states GED Africa CEO Klaus Findt.

The signing of the DRC CA marks a critical project milestone and opens the way for construction of a new road between Kasomeno, in the DRC, and Mwenda, in Zambia. Key features of this multilateral infrastructure project will include a modern 345 m cable-stayed bridge across the Luapula river, and a one-stop border post (OSBP) in each country.

The GED Africa route should have a lasting, positive impact on the local economy through long-term employment opportunities. People living along the GED Africa route are expected to enjoy benefits such as improved access to healthcare and education, as well as the facilitation of local trade.

The agreement includes a commitment to award 30% of the contracting work to local companies. The complex information technology systems required to enable the OSBP approach offers additional capacity-building and employment opportunities, says GED Africa.

“This contract meets the principal needs of the large-scale economic operators (the miners), the subcontractors, and finally the local communities which will be positively impacted on through the jobs that will be generated,” says DRC Infrastructure Minister Gizaro Muvuni Alexis.

The creation of trading links to Zambia and the international Port of Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania, will support sectoral development in mining and agriculture, and position Kasenga as the DRC’s next major commercial centre.

The collaboration between all parties in this public–private partnership is a case study that speaks to the opportunities that can be created when a sustainable business model is applied to the needs of the local communities and their economies, states GED Africa.

“Significant progress has already been made with early works on the GED Africa route, and the signing of these CAs means that the road ahead is clear,” adds the company.

The GED Africa Route Project is a regional corridor development initiative, conceptualised by GED Africa, and structured as a build-operate-transfer project between the company’s subsidiaries GED Congo and GED Zambia, and the DRC and the Zambian governments under separate CAs. GED Africa owns the rights to design, build and operate the GED Africa route.