Democratic Republic of the Congo WT/TPR/S/240 
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V. AID FOR TRADE1 
(1) OVERVIEW  
1. The DRC has solicited and benefited from a number of technical and financial assistance 
programmes provided by its technical and financial partners (TFPs) for the purpose of developing its 
international trade, diversifying its economy and reviving growth.  The Diagnostic Trade Integration 
Study (DTIS) for the implementation of the Integrat ed Framework, endorsed in July 2010, indicates 
several ways of reviving trade in the DRC. 
2. As a component of its national development st rategy and its plan to boost the private sector 
and diversify its economy2, the DRC sees trade as a tool for growth and poverty reduction.  The 
impact of trade on growth and poverty is not yet ap parent, however, because there is no concrete and 
operational action plan underpinne d by a financing proposition. 
3. According to the DRC authorities, the current fo cus of the DRC's trade development strategy 
is on improving the business/investment climate.  Fo r the period 2011-2015, the main priorities are:  
to undertake reform in different spheres of activity (the transport, electricity and telecommunications 
infrastructure;  agriculture;  forestry and mining) ;  to introduce trade facilitation measures (including 
the integrated single window);  and to build institutional and human capacity. 
4. Until now, the resources mobilized by donors have gone first and foremost towards the 
reconstruction and stability efforts in the DRC following protracted periods of conflict.  It is not easy 
to trace the resources devoted to Aid for Trade (AFT)  in the total volume of official development 
assistance (ODA).  According to the DTIS, the DRC is  one of the countries with both a high demand 
for and a high flow of AFT.  According to OECD statistics, AFT accounted for 30 per cent of ODA in 
the DRC between 2006 and 2008.  It is the authorities'  view, however, that they have not received any 
AFT since 2006 and they would like this specific aid to be additional. 
5. According to the Ministry of Planning, respons ible for coordinating international aid in the 
DRC, over the period 2006 to 2008, 26 donors earmarked over US$4 billion for reconstruction and 
development, which received a high concentration of  aid.  In fact, the ten donors which announced 
commitments of over US$100 million each over a two- year period accounted for 83 per cent of total 
payments, or US$3.85 billion.  The 16 smallest donors accounted for 7 per cent of the total. 
6. The sectoral breakdown of ODA is based on the sectors in the Growth and Poverty Reduction 
Strategy Paper (GPRSP).  In te rms of payments, the three fore most sectors are:  governance 
(US$446 million);  health (US$399 million);  and transport (US$297 million).  These three sectors 
received 57 per cent of total payments over the peri od under review.  The next five sectors (education, 
social services, agriculture, water and sanitati on, population and HIV-AIDS) received 32 per cent 
(US$645 million), while the remaining 11 sectors shared 11 per cent in 2007-2008 (or US$222 million).  Between 2001 and 2008, grants acc ounted for 85 per cent of the total amount 
committed and disbursed to the DRC, compared  to 15 per cent in the form of loans. 
                                                     
 
1 Aid for Trade (AFT) is intended to help the developing countries to increase their exports of goods 
and services and to integrate into the multilateral tradin g system.  AFT is considered to cover those projects and 
programmes whose activities have been identified as trade-related development priorities in the national 
development strategies of the beneficiary countries.  Six categories of AFT have been identified:  (i) trade policy 
and regulation;  (ii) trade development;  (iii) trade-rela ted infrastructure;  (iv) productive capacity building;  
(v) trade-related adjustment;  and (vi) other trade-related needs. 
2 Democratic Republic of the Congo (2007). WT/TPR/S/240 Trade Policy Review 
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7. Overall, total AFT, like the amount of ODA, is  low in light of the country's needs.  
Nevertheless, in the new context of a US$12.3 billion3 alleviation of the debt and the implementation 
of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), th e efforts made to revive economic activities and 
reduce poverty in the DRC could be stepped up.  The DTIS recommends as a priority streamlining 
taxation and improving the administrative and in stitutional environment for foreign trade. 
8. The DRC continues to face many challenges in implementing its national development 
strategy, including total pacification of the country, the mobilization of external resources and alignment of aid from TFPs
4 with national development priorities.  With the aim of mobilizing more 
external resources and tightening cooperation with  its TFPs, the DRC is drawing up its national 
development aid policy and, in parallel, intr oducing a system for managing information on ODA. 
9. In the DRC, the Ministry responsible for trade does not play the leading role in coordinating 
and supervising AFT.  Coordination is the joint res ponsibility of the Ministers in charge of planning 
and international cooperation.  According to the au thorities, this situation results in parcelling out 
certain functions and hinders still further the eff ectiveness of government action by creating numerous 
conflicts of competence.  The Government and its TFPs  will therefore have to make further efforts to 
ensure that AFT is more effective by significan tly improving coordination,  predictability and the 
alignment of donors with national priorities. 
(2) INTEGRATION OF TRADE INTO THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY  
(i) National development strategy 
10. Since 2006, the DRC has been implementing the GPRSP through a Priority Actions 
Programme (PAP) drawn up in 2007.  The PAP incorporates the five areas for action in the DRC5, the 
governance contract and the Country Assistance Framew ork (CAF) of its developm ent partners.  It is 
intended to revive sustainable development in the country. 
11. The GPRSP has the following five thrusts:  (i) promoting good governance and consolidating 
peace by making institutions stronger;  (ii) consolidating macroeconomic stability and economic growth;  (iii) improving access to social service s and reducing vulnerabilit y;  (iv) combating 
HIV/AIDS;  and (v) promoting community dynamics .  The strategies to reduce monetary and human 
poverty are underpinned by strong and equitable ec onomic growth and by the 26/25 vision, to be 
carried out over 25 years.  Such growth depe nds greatly on peace and security conditions and good 
governance.  Poverty reduction requires fair redist ribution of such economic growth, which hinges on 
policy, institutional and sectoral reform to increa se transparency and decentralization, on the one 
hand, and to improve access to basic social serv ices, reduce vulnerability and combat HIV/AIDS, on 
the other. 
12. Trade is only marginally addressed from differe nt angles in each of these five areas.  The 
GPRSP's Priority Actions Programme (PAP) is intended to put the strategic thrusts into effect in terms 
of projects and programmes so as to contribute towards growth and poverty reduction.  For the time 
being, the GPRSP is the referenc e framework for all the DRC's development policies and strategies 
and has also served as a platform for dial ogue between the Government and its TFPs. 
                                                     
 
3 Debt relief, effective as of Ju ly 2010, will enable the DRC to sa ve over US$60 million each month 
and reinvest it in its economy. 
4 The expression TFP refers to donors, development donors and financing sources alike. 
5 The strategy adopted by the Government has the following five thrusts:  promoting good governance 
and consolidating peace, consolidating macroeconomic  stability and economic growth, improving access to 
social services and reducing vulnerability, combating HIV/AIDS, and promoting community dynamics. Democratic Republic of the Congo WT/TPR/S/240 
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(ii) Integrated Framework 
13. The first edition of the GPRSP did not place appropriate emphasis on trade, which should 
play a catalytic role in the country's development.  In order to remedy this, since March 20086 the 
DRC has been a beneficiary of the Enhanced In tegrated Framework (EIF) programme, which is 
implemented following the DTIS (Section (1) above).  Two ministerial orders have been signed by the 
Minister responsible for trade.7 
14. The second edition of the GPRSP is under prepara tion and should take trade into account in 
the "good economic governance" thematic cluster.  For the DRC's authorities, it is no longer a 
question of adopting a legal text but rather of awaiting publication of the final version of the 
GPRSP II for the period 2011-2015. 
15. The DTIS analysed the DRC's trade performance,  identifying the constraints on the country's 
regional integration and the priorities for integr ating trade into the Government's development 
programme through coordination of action by stakehol ders.  Overall, the DTIS singles out three main 
areas for action:  (i) seeking potentially profitable e xport subsectors;  (ii) identifying areas in which 
productivity could be improved;  and (iii) analysing the regulatory and instituti onal reforms required.  
In the case of the DRC, the key sectors identified are agriculture, agri-business, forestry and mining.  
The DTIS does not mention services such as touris m, which nevertheless have strong export potential 
(Chapter IV). 
16. The DTIS has identified a number of constraints hampering the development of trade in the 
DRC.  These include the absence of an appropriate legal and commercial framework;  the lack of 
suitable transport, telecommunications and electricity infrastructure;  the ineffi ciency of the structure 
for ensuring compliance with regulat ions;  an environment that is not attractive to business;  lengthy 
customs clearance procedures;  and the numerous unl awful services at the border.  Among the other 
priorities identified by the DTIS are trade facilita tion, enhancing the business climate by streamlining 
fiscal and administrative procedures, clarifying the roles of the various bodies involved in the control 
or inspection process, and speedi ng up the introduction of the single window for foreign trade 
transactions in order to resolve the problem of the plethora of services. 
17. The DRC's authorities intend to introduce a consis tent trade policy that takes into account the 
physical, political, social and economic environment of  the country, and then to integrate the priorities 
identified in the DTIS action matrix into the me dium-term expenditure framework (CMDT), in line 
with the GPRSP. 
18. The DRC needs to create a better regulatory, fiscal and institutional environment in which 
domestic and foreign trade can be conducted withou t hindrance, in an open environment integrated 
into regional and international trade channels. 
(iii) Supply-side constraints 
19. Development of the DRC's economy faces considerable  external and internal constraints.  The 
external constraints include the numerous military conflicts that have ser iously undermined the 
country's stability over the past 15 years.  The in ternal problems which the country must overcome in 
                                                      
6 Viewed at:  http://www.northsouthcorridor.org/media/congo_dr_template_mar_09.pdf. 
7 Orders No. 015/CAB/MIN-ECONAT&COM/2009 of 16 June 2009 on the creation and functioning 
of the Enhanced Integrated Framewor k (EIF) structures in the DRC and 
No. 015/CAB/MIN-ECONAT&COM/2009 of 3 July 2009 appointing members of the Enhanced Integrated Framework. WT/TPR/S/240 Trade Policy Review 
Page 100 
 
 
order to boost its development include  the low level of diversification of its economy;  the particularly 
poor level of development of human resources;  the in adequacy of transport and basic infrastructure;  
weak institutional capacity;  and governance problems. 
(iv) Aid for Trade needs and trade-related technical assistance 
20. A major effort to draw up and coordinate national strategies for the development of 
international trade is under way in the DRC.  This  has enabled the authorities to endorse the DTIS and 
its action matrix and to identify priority projects to develop trade in the DRC.  These projects are 
listed provisionally in Table V.1.  They are first a nd foremost projects in s upport of regulatory reform, 
such as lowering taxes on imports and exports, revi sing the procedures governing international trade 
and investment and building up the bodies respons ible for supporting and pr omoting international 
trade.  The second group includes priority infrastructur e projects to facilitate trade, mainly in the areas 
of transport and other basic infrastructure.  Thirdl y, the authorities have identified those sectors with 
the greatest potential for developing exports. 
(3) AID FOR TRADE ASSISTANCE  
(i) Overview of development aid flows in the economy 
21. The amount of grants and ODA has risen subs tantially in the DRC, from US$440.99 million 
in 2005 to US$1.5 billion in 2 010 in the case of grants and from US$1.2 billion in 2005 to 
US$1.7 billion in 2008 for ODA (Table V.1).  Howeve r, in per capita and annual terms (i.e. some 
US$20.1), these figures are modest in light of the c ountry's development needs.  The aid received is 
apportioned as follows:  US$227. 61 million (economic infrastructure), US$285.61 million (capacity 
building), US$0.21 million (trade-related po licy and regulations),  and US$770.27 million 
(trade-related adjustment).8 
22. Although the total amount of commitments fluctuat es widely from one year to another, since 
2000 ODA has financed on average around one third of the DRC's State budget and accounts for over 10 per cent of GDP.  It thus plays a key role in effective implementation of government programmes. 
23. There has been a relative improvement in r ecent years in the rate of mobilization of 
ODA commitments for the DRC.  With commitments estimated to be US$82,857 million compared to 
actual payment of US$37,037 million in 2006, and co mmitments of US$119,255 million compared to 
actual payment of US$78,000 million in 2007, the rate  rose from 44.70 per cent in 2006 to 65.41 per 
cent in 2007.  Nevertheless, the total amount of ODA goi ng to the DRC is still very low in light of the 
needs if the objectives in the GPRSP are to be attained. 
24. Since 2008 and 2009, the DRC has benefited from the special financial aid programmes under 
the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIP C) initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief 
Initiative (MDRI), which has enabled its debt to be reduced. 
Table V.1 
Grants and official development assistance, 2005-2010 
(US$ million) 
 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Total 440.99 1,123.81 832.01 1,055.24 1,585.18 1,494.89
Project grants 158.53 353.48 91.64 222.93 226.93 711.22
Current transfers 282.46 770.33 740.36 832.31 1,358.25 783.67
Budget support 11.73 83.98 0.00 0.00 311.64 103.44
Humanitarian aid 270.73 686.35 740.36 832.31 1,046.61 680.23
                                                      
8 OECD (2010), ODA statistics. Democratic Republic of the Congo WT/TPR/S/240 
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 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
 Multilateral 149.51 419.16 91.64 222.93 538.57 814.65
Budget support -0.77 83.98 0.00 0.00 311.64 103.44
Project grants 150.29 335.18 91.64 222.93 226.93 711.22
 Bilateral 291.47 704.65 740.36 832.31 1,046.61 680.23
Budget support 12.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Project grants 8.25 18.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Humanitarian aid 270.73 686.35 740.36 832.31 1,046.61 680.23
ODA (OECD DAC data) 1,188.03 1,926.79 1,252.10 1,677.71 .. ..
Multilateral 531.66 435.88 448.37 737.33 .. ..
IDA 227.63 130.97 161.57 240.77 .. ..
Debt cancellation 34.04 .. 40.43 42.48 .. ..
Other 304.03 304.91 286.80 496.56 .. ..
Bilateral 656.37 1,490.91 803.73 940.38 .. ..
.. Not available. 
Source : OECD (2010).  Viewed at:  DR C\Data\External assistance.xls. 
 
(ii) Overview of Aid for Trade 
25. The OECD is active in following up and ev aluating assistance programmes and maintains the 
Creditor Reporting System (CRS).  Accordi ng to the CRS database (Table V.2), total 
AFT commitments for the DRC amounted to US$54 million in 2007, an increase in comparison with the period 2002-2006.  Of these commitments, only US$34 million were in fact received by the 
country.
9  The support is mainly intended for the econom ic infrastructure, especially transport and 
storage.  Agriculture receives a substantial proporti on of the aid, but commitments vary sharply from 
year to year and, according to the authori ties, are still far below the country's needs. 
26. In terms of commitments and actual disburseme nts, the main TFPs are the World Bank, the 
European Union, and the African Development Ba nk (AfDB).  Table V.2 provides an overview of 
donor activities and Table V.3 summarizes activities by the major donors in terms of AFT for the DRC. 
Table V.2 
Aid for Trade flows:  CRS auxiliary data10, 2002-2005, and 2006 and 2007 
(ODA:  US$ thousand, 2006 constant prices) 
CRS purpose codes Commitments Actual payments 
 2002-2005 
average 2006 2007 2006 2007 
Trade policy and regulations and trade-related adjustment 
33110 Trade policy and administrative 
management  ..  28  9  28  0 
33120 Trade facilitation  ..  ..  ..  ..  .. 
33130 Regional trade agreements (RTAs)  ..  ..  ..  ..  .. 
33140 Multilateral trade negotiations  ..  ..  ..  ..  .. 
33150 Trade-related adjustment  ..  ..  ..  ..  .. 
33181 Trade education/training  ..  ..  ..  ..  .. 
Subtotal  0  28  9  28  0 
Economic infrastructure 
21010 to 21081 Transport and storage  16,839  0  33,895  7,137  26,853 
22010 to 22040 Communications  11  194   175  
23010 to 23082 Energy generation and supply  3,402  23  10  23  10 
Subtotal  20,252  217  33,905  7,137  26,863 
                                                      
9 AFT commitments may differ from actual payments  for various reasons, such as the payment 
schedule. 
10 In the CRS, the trade development indicator is used for notifying trade development activities.  The 
amounts indicated correspond to produc tive capacity-building activities which ma inly contribute or significantly 
contribute to trade development.  It will be noted, however, that some donor coun tries notifying CRS data may 
not use the trade development indicator, so the amounts indicated under this category cannot be added together in order to provide the overall total. WT/TPR/S/240 Trade Policy Review 
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CRS purpose codes Commitments Actual payments 
 2002-2005 
average 2006 2007 2006 2007 
Building productive capacity 
25010 Business support services and institutions  437  ..  ..  ..  .. 
24010 to 24081 Banking and financial services  45  203  233  300  307 
31110 to 31195 Agriculture  390  0  18,252  0  6,325 
31210 to 31291 Forestry  40  0  0  0  556 
31310 to 31391 Fishing  7  0  ..  0  .. 
32110 to 32182 Industry  499  14  0  5  0 
32210 to 32268 Mineral resources and mining  ..  16,317  1,799  0  0 
33210 Tourism  ..  ..  ..  ..  .. 
Subtotal  1,418  16, 534  20,284  305  7,188 
TOTAL AID FOR TRADE  21,671  16,779  54,196  7,667  34,051 
TOTAL ODA BROKEN DOWN BY SECTOR  93,055  82,857 119,255  37,037  78,006 
.. Not available. 
Source : OECD, Creditor Reporting System.  Viewed a t:  http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/51/35/43219769.pdf. 
 
Table V.3 
Summary of activities by the major donors in terms of Aid for Trade 
Donor Overview 
World Bank: 
Country Assistance Strategy 
(CAS) The World Bank is one of the DRC's main TFPs and its  CAS also takes into account the objectives set out 
in the GPRSP.  Its main AFT ac tivities and priorities relate to support for basic infrastructure. 
International Monetary Fund The IMF gives the DRC financial assistance, inter alia for the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility 
(PRGF) in connection with the GPRSP.  The program me covers the period July 2009 to June 2012 and 
has led to the delivery of IMF debt relief under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). 
African Development Bank 
(AfDB) Development of basic infrastructure , support for production sectors, and human and institutional capacity 
building. 
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Assistance Framew ork (UNDAF) is the common strategic planning 
framework for the United Nations Syst em's operations in the DRC.  Two of the five priority areas for 
UNDP are trade-related:  expanding  job opportunities and income-gener ating activities;  and promoting 
good governance.  In the DRC, UNDP is also engage d in promoting human development, fostering the 
integration of trade into development plans, and help ing to build capacity in the key economic and social 
sectors. 
European Union: 
Country Strategy Paper and 
European Development Fund The EU's cooperation in the DRC under the 10th EDF focuses on the following areas for action: 
improving the business climate;  trade facilitation and cu stoms reform;  trade policy and infrastructure to 
upgrade the quality of products;  business support services. 
Source : WTO Secretariat, based on information provided by the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 
 
(iii) Trade-related technical assistance 
27. Several institutions, including the WTO, UNC TAD, ITC, WIPO, FAO and AfDB, give the 
DRC trade-related technical assistance, but this sub section will deal only with the assistance provided 
by the WTO. 
28. The WTO is very active in providing techni cal assistance and training activities for its 
Members, especially LDCs such as the DRC, in order to acquaint their officials with WTO-related 
issues.  Between 2006 and 2010, officials from the D RC took part in 32 activities, or eight activities a 
year on average, in most of the areas covered by  the WTO.  The activities included distance learning, 
participation in conferences, traineeships lasting up to 11 months, three-week introduction courses, 
two or three-day national or regional seminars in  the DRC and other countries, trade policy courses 
lasting several months in Geneva or in Africa,  specialized courses (for example, on SPS measures), 
and thematic courses (for example, on settlement of disputes). Democratic Republic of the Congo WT/TPR/S/240 
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29. Over the past four years, the DRC has benef ited from three national activities on notifications, 
the Doha negotiations, and trade facilitation.  It h as also seen the establishmen t of reference centres 
and national enquiry points under the WTO-Interna tional Organisation of la Francophonie (OIF) 
partnership and two missions in co nnection with this TPR.  Because of the civil war in the country 
and the uncertain security situation in Kinshasa (s ecurity level three on the United Nations scale of 
five), the WTO has not been able to  conduct any missions there recently. 
30. At the regional level, the DRC was invited to ta ke part in 20 seminars/workshops.  The topics 
covered included agriculture, regional trade ag reements, services, sanitary and phytosanitary 
measures, technical barriers to trade, dispute se ttlement, trade and development, trade facilitation, 
TRIPS and NAMA.  It has also benefited from several short courses on trade policy, organized in 
cooperation with regional and intern ational partners, including CEMAC, ECCAS, OIF, AfDB and the 
Economic Commission for Africa.  Two officials from the DRC took part in the two latest regional trade policy courses in Benin (2008-2009).  In additi on, a DRC official took part in the trade policy 
course in Geneva in 2009.  An official from the D RC also participated in the Netherlands training 
programme in 2008 and another is  currently participating in the mission internship programme 
in 2010.  A number of DRC officials have completed several online training modules on the following 
topics:  introduction to the WTO, sanitary and phyto sanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, and 
TRIPS. 
31. These technical assistance and training activities should in the long run help to eliminate 
some of the obstacles to implementing the WTO Agreem ents, at least those attributable to insufficient 
capacity in the national bodies responsible for the various aspects of the WTO Agreements.  One of 
the main areas in which the DRC appears to have implementation difficulties is in relation to SPS and 
TBT measures.  Discussions with the authorities fo r the purpose of this Review have highlighted 
shortcomings in these regimes and the administrativ e red tape and overlapping which prevents them 
from being applied (Chapter III(2)). 
(4) M
ATCHING NEEDS AND ASSISTANCE  
(i) National coordination mechanisms 
(a) National coordination mechanism for official development assistance 
32. The mechanisms for coordinating assistance exis t but are not operational.  Since 2002, the 
Government has established an interministerial commission (CISPI), chaired by the Minister 
responsible for finance, to follow up on the pr ogrammes agreed with international financial 
institutions, and another interminis terial commission (CISNLCP), chaire d by the Minister responsible 
for planning, to establish the National Poverty Reducti on Strategy.  In its efforts to regain ownership 
of its planning, the Government has become aware of the inadequacy of its mechanisms for following 
up and evaluating external assistance in particul ar.  In order to overcome this problem, in 
January 2008 the Government introduced the Aid an d Investment Management Platform (PGAI), with 
support from Belgium, UNDP, the World Bank, France and the European Commission. 
33. In order to build a solid partnership with  financing sources, the DRC has concluded a 
performance pact with its development partners to  guarantee the predictability of assistance and the 
implementation of projects and programmes that meet the country's priority needs and are directed towards the achievement of practical results.  The action plan (PAP), launched in late 2008, sets out 
the objectives for the five areas covered, as well as th e expected results, the priority actions to be 
taken, performance indicators, the timetable, and th e responsibilities (services) of the Government and 
development partners. WT/TPR/S/240 Trade Policy Review 
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34. The performance pact and the related acti on plan provide a suitable framework for 
coordinating action by the Governme nt and its partners.  It is no w a question of introducing key 
reforms, particularly in government service and in  decentralization, and to draw up a road map for 
refocusing assistance in the light of this transition fro m aid for stabilization to development assistance.  
The CISPI only meets, however, when IMF missions are in the country.  The Technical Committee 
responsible for reform (CTR), which belongs to the Mi nistry responsible for finance, is in charge of 
following up and evaluating implementation of the Government's economic a nd social reforms under 
the GPRSP, and acts as the CISPI's secretariat.  As  support from international organizations is aligned 
on the GPRSP, there is a danger of overlapping of the committees' activities since the terms of 
reference of these two bodies have not been clearly defined. 
(b) National coordination mechanism for Aid for Trade 
35. The national coordination mechanism for AFT does not yet exist.  Nevertheless, as indicated 
in Chapter II, the Minister in charge of trade is responsible for defining and coordinating trade policy, 
including the integration of trade into the nationa l development policy.  He shares this responsibility 
with other Ministers concerned by areas covered by AFT (transport, infrastructure, financial services, 
investment, etc.).  Nevertheless, as far as planni ng and budget are concerned, responsibilities are still 
highly centralized in the Ministry of Finance, as well as in the Ministry responsible for the budget, 
and it is by no means certain that the Minister in  charge of trade can always make his voice heard.11  
With the introduction of the Integrated Framework, the appointment of the donors' facilitator and designation of the focal point for AFT, the Ministry responsible for trade will be in a better position to 
coordinate AFT. 
36. The Government maintains ongoing dialogue with  the private sector and other partners 
regarding the drafting and implementation of its ec onomic and trade policy.  Each year, it convenes 
trade associations from the private sector, civ il society associations, trade unions, the TFPs and 
farmers' associations.  Financial requirements fo r trade-related priorities are covered in these 
discussions. 
(ii) Monitoring and evaluation 
37. ODA to the DRC is regularly evaluated.  The Forum on Aid Effectiveness, held in Kinshasa 
on 15 and 16 June 2009, was one of a series of  international initiatives, notably the MDG, the 
Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda, aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of aid and, as a result, its impact on development. 
38. The Forum focused on endorsement of the perfo rmance pact by the Government and the 
development partners and their joint commit ment to work together to speed up the 
DRC's development and ensure that the resources they devote to this are used efficiently and make the 
most direct contribution to improving the living conditions of the population and the country's sustainable development. 
39. The Kinshasa Agenda includes the guiding principles and th e practical measures to be 
implemented, taking into account the respective po licies and regulations of development partners.  
These principles and measures call for the involvement of all stakeholders in development, including civil society and the private sector.  The gender dime nsion is integrated horizontally into all stages of 
the cooperation process, taking into account the special and strategic needs of women.  Lastly, the DRC is a special case because of the size and di versity of the countr y, the importance of 
                                                     
 
11 In the DRC, the Ministry responsible for trade has seen the most rotation and the most frequent 
transfer of ministers. Democratic Republic of the Congo WT/TPR/S/240 
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decentralization and consolidation of peace, and th e malfunctioning of the State apparatus caused by 
its fragility. 
40. As to the outcome of the Forum, the followi ng practical measures have been taken by the 
Government:  (i) affirmation of its pivotal role in centralizing aid and its commitment to introduce 
results-based management of public affairs;  (ii)  commitment to development partners to reorganize 
the institutional framework for aid and build the in stitutional capacity of the national public sector;  
(iii) streamlining of developmen t partners' action by making aid less fragmented and enhancing its 
predictability;  (iv) commitments by both parties gradually to integrate implementation mechanisms 
into national structures and systems;  and (v) rapi d creation of a platform for policy dialogue with 
national institutions, civil society, the private sect or, and representatives of international development 
organizations. 
(5) OUTLOOK FOR AID FOR TRADE  
41. Following the breakdown of its structural coope ration, for several y ears the DRC was unable 
to receive trade-related technical assistance.  While awaiting the implementation of the EIF in order to 
make up for the delay in receiving AFT, the country 's preliminary needs for trade-related technical 
assistance have been defined.  To overcome supply- side constraints, the authorities' needs can be 
summarized, on the one hand, as the gradual introduction of infrastructure for controlling quality, technical documentation, surveys and technological r esearch, trade information and credit financing.  
On the other, the DRC would like to use AFT to build its institutional material and human capacity, 
draw up a policy and domestic legislation on trade,  prepare national policies for promoting foreign 
investment and the private sector, and develop the services infrastructure.  In addition, as far as 
market access is concerned, AFT will be used to create trade poles,  build human resource capacity, 
improve trade support services and carry out surveys of export markets for particular products or 
industrial sectors. 
42. As part of the AFT programme for the north-s outh corridor, the DRC has defined its needs, 
estimated at US$4 million, for the purposes of the feasibility study and project design for the 
rehabilitation of the Lubumbashi-Kolwezi (299 km.) and Lubumbashi-Kasumbalesa (101 km.) 
stretches.
12  Other projects will enable, on the one hand, a feasibility study and the design 
(US$500,000) for the "Kitwe belt", the "Lusaka belt" (20 km.) and the Lusaka-Chirunda (90 km.) and Kafue-Monze (137 km.) routes, and on the other,  their building and supervision (US$223 million).
13  
The Lubumbashi-Likasi stretch has already been completed with financing from the World Bank, but 
the Likasi-Kolwezi stretch will be financed by th e Katanga Governorate and carried out by a Chinese 
firm.  The Lubumbashi-Kasumbalesa stretch was built by a Chinese firm using revenue from road 
tolls. 
43. The DRC has recently renewed its structural c ooperation with its traditi onal financing sources 
and, by making progress in aid flow management and ownership of development programmes, it was 
able to convince its TFPs to increase ODA steadily  over the period 2000-2008.   ODA is nevertheless 
                                                      
12 The north-south corridor programm e is a tripartite AFT programme for the three regional economic 
communities, COMESA, ECA and SADC, aimed at lowering the cost of cross-border trade in sub-Saharan Africa. 
13 Viewed at:  http://www.northsouthcorridor.org/. WT/TPR/S/240 Trade Policy Review 
Page 106 
 
 
modest considering the country's development need s and fluctuates considerably from one year to 
another.  The challenge facing the DRC is therefor e to mobilize more resources on a stable basis in 
order to develop its infrastructure and producti on capacity.  To convince its TFPs to continue 
increasing their commitments, the DRC must maintain and develop its plan (Table AV.1) for clearly 
identified and precisely quantified priority action.  Fo r this purpose, the authorities have indicated that 
one of their priorities is to build institutional and technical capacity in government departments, 
including in those bodies responsible for promoting AFT. 
 Democratic Republic of the Congo WT/TPR/S/240 
 Page 107 
 
 
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