Overview
The Republic of Congo is located in Central Africa. It has a population of 5.8 million inhabitants and 65% of its surface is covered by tropical forest. It is one of the least densely populated countries in Africa.
Endowed with mineral resources and largely dependent on oil, which represents about 80% of its exports, the low middle-income country aims to accelerate its development while preserving its natural resources.
Our partnership
In line with its Global Gateway strategy, the EU supports the Republic of Congo to move away from an economy mainly based on oil towards a green, digital, diversified, and inclusive economy.
Team Europe in Congo, gathering the EU, France, and Germany, is supporting the preservation of the Congo Basin’s forests and the transition to a sustainable development path. The Republic of Congo also benefits from a number of multi-country EU programmes. It has signed the EU-Congo Forest Partnership and the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade.
The EU has allocated €110 million in grant funding towards the partnership in 2021-27.
EU-Congo partnership programming documents can be found in the 'Related documents' section below.
Our flagship initiatives
- Forests
With its vast forested landscapes, the Republic of Congo plays a key role in global biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Efforts focus on preserving these forests through zero deforestation policies, sustainable agriculture, and the promotion of agroforestry, while supporting the development of sustainable forest economies and enhancing biodiversity conservation. The EU partners with Congo on:
- Governance: Ensuring the sustainable management of forests, peatlands, and their carbon stocks by, for example, supporting independent observation mechanisms, supporting civil society participation and providing technical assistance to implement a traceability system for timber; capacity building for the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples of the Bouenza.
- Sustainable forest economy and wood/forest value chains: Supporting professional training on competences needed by the forestry sector, fostering the development of the eco-tourism industry and promoting private sector investments.
- Zero-deforestation agriculture: Promoting sustainable agricultural practices and the valorisation of wood waste instead of slash and burn practices.
- Biodiversity conservation: Advocating the protection and sustainable management of the biodiversity of forest ecosystems, for instance through dedicated support to national parcs (e.g. Conkouati Douli), improved wildlife management and protection and ocean conservation.
- Climate resilient cities and economic diversification
The Republic of Congo aims to build climate-resilient cities and diversify its economy, particularly through sustainable urban development and strengthening agri-food systems. The EU partners with Congo on enhancing infrastructure in secondary cities, promoting skills development, improving access to finance, and fostering a business environment that supports private sector growth.
- Secondary cities: Assisting the Congolese cities, and their local authorities, of Nkayi and Owando, as well as rural areas in the North and South-East regions in becoming more climate resilient, notably by investing in drainage and erosion control, water and sanitation, research, sustainable use of land and smart value chains.
- Agri-food systems: Strengthening capacities to develop plant production, livestock breeding, inland fishing and fish farming.
- Skills development: Providing professional training in key sectors of diversification (notably agriculture, agroforestry, tourism, renewable energy) namely to young people, women, and vulnerable sections of the population.
- Business environment: Improving the business climate and economic governance by strengthening the ecosystem to support private sector development.
- Access to finance: Improving access to finance for companies through targeted support, and their access to national and international markets by strengthening the national quality control system.
- Transport
The EU partners with Congo on improving port infrastructure, supporting regional trade through multimodal transport corridors and boosting connectivity and regional trade. Efforts include:
- Building new fishery infrastructures and promoting high environmental standards in the Harbour of Pointe-Noire.
- Supporting international ocean governance, port safety and security, including technical assistance to reduce the treatment time of goods.
- Exploring transport connectivity on and around the Congo River to contribute to the development of a multimodal transport corridor Brazzaville-Kinshasha-Bangui.
- Contributing to regional trade and transport facilitation programmes.
- Digital
Supporting Congo in advancing a human-centred digital transformation. Our efforts focus on:
- Human capital: Helping to bridge the divide in digital skills by supporting trainings in line with demands on the job market, and the setting up of national digital skills certification systems.
- E-governance and e-services for public institutions and universities: Harnessing digitalisation as a source to improve governance and enhance transparency and public services for citizens, while at the same time promoting data protection and cybersecurity.
- Renewable energy
Through targeted investments and technical assistance, the EU supports the Republic of Congo in improving access to renewable energy, strengthening energy governance, and promoting environmental sustainability. These collaborative efforts aim to ensure a reliable and sustainable energy future while boosting the country’s economic growth and regional integration.
- Increased access to renewable energy: Supporting projects in the northern regions of the country to expand access to renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, and hydropower.
- TVET for renewable energy professions: Providing vocational training to enhance skills in renewable energy sectors, including solar, wind, and hydropower technologies.
- New investments in renewable energy: Exploring potential new investments in renewable energy projects for future development.
- Hydroelectric dam governance: Developing model contracts for hydroelectric dam concessions and providing technical assistance to the regulatory agency (ARSEL).
- Legal and regulatory framework: Supporting the development of a legal and regulatory framework for the renewable energy sector in the Republic of Congo.
- Centres of Excellence: Supporting the operationalisation of Centres of Excellence for renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Republic of Congo and for ECCAS countries.
- Democracy and human rights
Promoting participatory and inclusive democratic governance mechanisms and improving access to rights for people vulnerable in vulnerable situations.
- Building capacities for civil society organisations and media.
- Supporting gender equality and combatting violence against women.
- Promoting children’s rights and improving the situation of children living in the streets in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire.
- Fostering youth participation, especially through the Youth exchange platform and the establishment of a Youth Sounding and Dialogue Board.
- Improving the situation of people with disabilities in Ouenzé et Makélékélé
- Supporting prisoner’s rights by boosting professionalisation of the Congolese police and the establishment of pilot stations.
- Peace and security
Contributing to maritime safety and countering transnational crime and terrorism.
- Increase the capacities of law enforcement agencies and judicial bodies to respond to maritime crimes, enhance legal fishing and strengthen the capacities of the maritime security architectures in the region, like the Yaoundé architecture for information sharing and coordination.
- Counter transnational organised crime and terrorist groups by targeting illicit financial flows in Central Africa and Enhance knowledge and capacity to produce data on transnational organised crime and illicit markets, with specific attention given to the trafficking in medical and pharmaceutical products.