British International Investment (BII) says it has committed up to $35-million for the construction of the initial phase of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) first deep-water container port.

BII is the development finance institution of the UK government.

The new Port of Banana development is expected to enable the creation of around 85 000 jobs and $1.12-billion in additional trade, as well as $429-million in increased economic output a year.

The new port will serve as the single maritime gateway for all containerised imports and exports in the DRC, providing the country with logistical independence and ensuring sovereignty over its foreign trade, says the BII.

Increased containerised trade in western DRC should also make essential imported goods such as clothing, textiles, food, pharmaceuticals, and consumer products cheaper and more accessible.

The DRC is Africa’s second-largest country and the fourth most populous on the continent.

The commitment to the Port of Banana is an extension of the partnership between BII and global ports and logistics operator DP World, which started with the modernisation and expansion of ports in Dakar (Senegal), Sokhna (Egypt) and Berbera (Somaliland) in 2021.

As with the other ports in the partnership, BII will be a minority investor in the new port.

With a new draught of 17.5 m, the Port of Banana will be able to receive large container vessels from around the globe.

These efficiencies are expected to cut the cost of trade in the DRC by 12%, says the BII.

The port is being developed in multiple phases and its capacity is expected to gradually increase over time.

It will be connected to a network of additional infrastructure, including a free zone and multimodal logistics infrastructure to the country’s largest urban centres, including Kinshasa and its almost 17-million inhabitants, through the cities of Boma and Matadi.

“The development impact case for investing in ports is irrefutable,” says BII Africa head Chris Chijiutomi.

“Africa has a sixth of the world’s population, but accounts for just 4% of global containerised shipping volumes.”

The DRC currently moves a significant percentage of its goods, such as cobalt, through the Port of Durban, in South Africa.

DP World has been steadily creating viable alternatives to South African ports along the east coast of Africa, including at Maputo, in Mozambique.