The Democratic Republic of the Congo holds an estimated $24 trillion in untapped mineral wealth, 80 million hectares of arable land and 13% of the world’s hydropower potential. That should add up to vast economic potential. Instead, weak national infrastructure has long blocked foreign investment and sustained growth.
The African Development Bank has described the DRC as facing “possibly the most daunting infrastructure challenge on the African continent.” Conflict has damaged most networks, and the country’s “vast geography, low population density, extensive forestlands and crisscrossing rivers” complicate the development of new ones, the bank said.
Roads that wash away, power that barely reaches
The DRC has only 152,400 km of roads across a territory of 2.45 million square km. The Atlantic Council noted that ratio is just 40% of the Sub-Saharan African average of 0.14 km of road per square km — a figure already low compared with other regions.
Fewer than 10% of those roads are passable year-round. More than half of Congolese must travel an hour or more to reach a paved road. Transport costs eat up 40% to 60% of the final price of some goods.
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Electricity access is worse. Less than 20% of the population has it, and in rural areas the number drops to 2%.
S&P Global notes that the non-extractive sector grew by only 3.1% in 2025, even as the extractive sector expanded by 10.1%. The consultancy attributes the gap to a critical infrastructure deficit and weak credit markets that limit development and investment potential.
The AfDB similarly argues that the country’s huge infrastructure deficit continues to impede private investment and limit sector contributions to economic growth. Calixte Ahokpossi, the IMF’s mission chief to the DRC, said weak infrastructure inflates costs, constrains businesses and supports economic disparities.
International money trickles in for big projects
From 2021 to 2024, the International Finance Corporation committed $550 million to energy and infrastructure projects in the DRC. In July 2025, the World Bank agreed to $1.9 billion in project loans, including $250 million for the Grand Inga dam. If completed, the dam would generate 44 GW of power and become the largest power-producing facility on the planet.
The DRC is also turning to private capital. In April this year it issued its first Eurobond, raising $1.25 billion earmarked for infrastructure. The bond was structured in two parts: a five-year tranche at 8.75% and a ten-year tranche at 9.5%.
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Finance minister Doudou Fwamba Likunde said the proceeds will go primarily into hydropower and transport. The government’s National Strategic Development Plan prioritizes building a new airport terminal in Kinshasa, modernizing the RN4 road between Kisangani and Beni, improving 300 km of roads in the capital, and constructing a ring road to decongest Kinshasa.
Plans also include a 330 kV electricity transmission line to connect Zambia with the DRC’s copperbelt and 64 MW of hydro projects in the Kasaï-Central district.
Investor appetite is there, but risks linger
Orders for the Eurobond exceeded $5.2 billion, oversubscribed by more than four times. Mark Bohlund, senior credit research analyst at REDD Intelligence in London, told African Business that the DRC’s low external debt and strong foreign exchange earnings from mineral exports were the main draws. He also suspects increased U.S. involvement in the mining sector played a role.
Leo Morawiecki, emerging market debt specialist at Aberdeen Investments, said the DRC’s strong macro position made the bond appealing. The AfDB notes the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio stands at 16.1%, well below the sub-Saharan average of about 60%, giving it room to borrow more.
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“The DRC has a relatively low fiscal deficit, quite a well-balanced current account, a very low debt-to-GDP ratio, and the arrears are pretty small,” Morawiecki said. He added that the IMF programme provides a policy anchor that comforts investors.
Still, risks remain. Bohlund pointed to political transition as the biggest threat. The fate of former President Joseph Kabila, sentenced to death in absentia and under U.S. sanctions, raises questions about whether a successor will honor debts if there is little to show for the proceeds.
Morawiecki said the conflict in the east with the M23 militia is “the biggest political elephant in the room,” but he noted the region contributed only about 5% of central government revenues before the takeover, so the fiscal impact is relatively small.
The DRC’s recent Eurobond issuance signals that international investors are willing to bet on its long-term potential — and to help fund its ambitious infrastructure plans. Whether the government can deploy that capital effectively and keep investor confidence will determine if the country can finally unlock its mineral wealth.
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