News & Events Details

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN TRADE: TECHNICAL MEETING WITH THE RAWBANK ON THE PROMOTION OF FINANCING FOR PRIORITY AGRICULTURAL SECTORS TO INCREASE THE VOLUME OF EXPORTS FROM THE DRC TO THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET + THE REQUEST FOR TEMPORARY RESTRICTION MEASURES ON THE IMPORT OF MATTRESS BY THE COMPANY COMPLAST

Promoting financing for priority agricultural sectors including cocoa, coffee, rice, cassava, corn and palm oil in pilot areas including North Kivu, Tshopo, Kongo Central, Mai-Ndombe, Kwilu and Equateur, with the support of the United Kingdom which injected 25 million US dollars to de-risk credits in favor of local producers through Rawbank; objective, increase the volume of exports products made in DRC on the British market and others conquered by the Congolese Government; this point was at the center of a technical meeting this Monday, May 4, 2026 in Kinshasa between the Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya and the Commercial Director of Rawbank, Etienne-Claude Mabunda.

On behalf of the Congolese Government, the Minister of Foreign Trade welcomed the benefits of the United Kingdom-DRC commercial partnership while pleading for the relaxation of access to credit with a preferential rate and for the establishment of a specific model for areas emerging from conflicts including Beni-Butembo-Ituri and Tshopo, for the benefit of local agricultural producers and exporters.

A joint commission of experts who will work together with sectoral Ministries including Agriculture and Rural Development has been set up to consolidate this partnership

In front of the press, the Commercial Director of Rawbank reassured of the support of his institution to help the DRC to capture the Chinese, Emirati, British and American markets with AGOA won by the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

Furthermore, safeguarding the local industry with the fight against duping was at the center of another meeting with Vishal Hemnani, Managing Director of Complast, a company specializing in the manufacturing of mattresses and foams,
present in the DRC since 1967.

With its factories located in Lubumbashi in Haut-Katanga, Complast has a production capacity of 5,000 pieces of mattresses per day, a production higher than local demand for the provinces of Lualaba, Tanganyika and Haut-Katanga, estimated at less than 4,000 pieces per day, indicated its General Director.
A small commission has been set up to provide the Minister of Foreign Trade with additional data before he takes measures to temporarily restrict the import of mattresses into this part of the country, in accordance with the rules of the World Trade Organization-WTO.

Remember that the temporary restrictive measures taken by the Government aim to protect jobs generated by local businesses while combating capital flight.