Congo, the democratic republic of the Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in congo, the democratic republic of the, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Select Country Guide
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Trade Agreements
Last published date:

The DRC has bilateral trade agreements with over 50 countries and belongs to several international and regional trade organizations, including: the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA),the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (ECGLC), the Organization for harmonization of the business law in Africa (OHADA), and the East African Community (EAC). 

In March 2021, economic, commercial, and technical cooperation agreements between the DRC and Qatar were signed to guarantee the security and protection of massive investments.  These agreements provide for the modernization and development of airport and port infrastructure as well as capacity building for Congolese sectoral experts.  In June 2021, the DRC and Namibia were discussing the formalization of a trade agreement on the supply of horse mackerel fish.  The DRC and Rwanda have signed three bilateral trade agreements.  The first concerns traceability in gold mining.  The second agreement concerns a convention for “the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes and income,” and the last covers “the promotion and protection of investments.”  In October 2021, the DRC and Angola signed a trade agreement, including taxation, customs, transport, and an agreement for oil exploitation in common interest in September 2021.  The DRC and Zambia signed a bilateral trade agreement in September 2021 as part of the improvement and development of their cross-border trade, including advancing the implementation of the MOU on the issue of importing maize and maize meal.

In February 2022, the DRC deposited its instrument of ratification and became the 42nd country to ratify the continent-wide African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).  The DRC signed AfCFTA in March 2018 and the National Assembly approved the treaty in April 2021.  The agreement aims to facilitate imports and exports among member countries with reduced or zero tariffs, free market access and market information, and the elimination of trade barriers.  In April 2022, the DRC joined the East African Community (EAC), depositing the instruments of ratification of accession to the EAC treaty with the bloc’s secretariat in July 2022.  The GDRC has made efforts to harmonize its system with these regional bodies.

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility