The World Bank board has approved $500 million to strengthen transport and connectivity in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).According to Nicolas Kazadi, DRC finance minister, the return of budget to the country after more than 15 is recognition of the government’s commitment to improve governance, free the potential for economic growth in key sectors, and improve living conditions for Congolese people.“It ref lects the deepening of development cooperation with our technical and financial partners and should catalyse significant funding, allowing the government to address the immense development needs of DRC,” he said.First on the cards was a Transport and Connectivity Support Project, one in a series of three projects designed to provide safe, resilient, and sustainable transport and digital connectivity in and between the Kasai region and the eastern part of DRC, while also supporting the strengthening of sector governance. “It will support the government’s ambitious programme of better integrating the country by re-establishing the East-West road transport link, modernising key transport infrastructure, and improving digital connectivity. Specifically, it will finance the upgrading and paving of 440 kilometres of climate-resilient roads in the Kasai and North Kivu provinces, while laying fibre-optic infrastructure along the roads financed by the project.”
