Project management firm GED Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Ministry of Infrastructure and the Agence Congolaise des Grands Travaux (ACGT) have finalised the 25-year concession agreement outlining the infrastructure development requirements of the DRC segment of the GED Africa Route.

The GED Africa Route project is a regional corridor development initiative that includes the upgrade and greenfield road construction from Kasomeno, in the DRC, to Mwenda, in Zambia, and a modern 345 m cable stay bridge across the Luapula river, as well as one-stop border posts in each country.

The project was conceptualised by GED Africa and structured as a 25-year build-operate-transfer project between the subsidiaries GED Congo and GED Zambia, and the governments of the DRC and Zambia under separate concession agreements.

“The signing of this concession agreement marks a critical project milestone, and opens the way for construction of a new road between Kasomeno, in the DRC, and Mwenda, in Zambia,” GED Africa says in a statement.

“The GED Africa Route will have a lasting, positive impact on the local economy via long-term employment opportunities. Benefits for people living along the GED Africa Route will include improved access to healthcare and education, as well as the facilitation of local trade,” the company adds.

The concession agreement includes a commitment to 30% of the contracting work to be awarded to local companies. The complex information technology systems required to enable the one-stop border posts approach offers additional capacity-building and employment opportunities.

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

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

“[In May], we will sign a parallel agreement with the Republic of Zambia. Together, these two concessions will form a transport corridor providing multiple economic benefits for people across the region, and beyond,” adds GED Africa CEO Klaus Findt.

“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.

“Significant progress has already been made with early works on the GED Africa Route, and the signing of these concession agreements means that the road ahead is now clear,” says Findt.