Kinshasa: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Hydrocarbons Ministry has announced plans to lead a high-level delegation to the United States (U.S.)-Africa Energy Forum (USAEF) in 2025. The ministry’s participation underscores the DRC’s commitment to opening its doors to investment, with a particular focus on exploration and downstream development.
According to African Press Organization, the DRC is seeking partners to inject capital, technology, and expertise into its exploration efforts, concentrating on high-potential onshore and offshore blocks. Many of these regions, including the Cuvette Centrale and Coastal areas, remain underexplored. Currently, the DRC produces approximately 18,000 barrels per day (bpd) but aims to substantially increase this to 300,000 bpd. This ambitious growth target is anticipated to be fueled by new offshore discoveries and an upcoming petroleum code that aims to clarify investor terms and facilitate joint development ventures.
The ministry is also looking to engage with U.S.-based downstream and petrochemicals companies to expand value-added processing and bolster domestic energy infrastructure. USAEF 2025 provides a crucial platform for direct discussions with U.S. investors, potentially leading to new deals, technical partnerships, and cross-regional energy trade. Current initiatives include developing a new oil terminal in Goma to stabilize fuel supply in the east, along with nationwide upgrades to fuel storage and distribution networks. These projects offer significant opportunities for U.S. engineering, technology, and EPC firms to contribute to infrastructure modernization, modular refining, and local capacity-building.