The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has received US$ 9.65M worth of equipment from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance for the government of Japan, for improvement of roads in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Central African country.
Including soil stabilizers, bulldozers, and power shovels, this equipment will be deployed for road maintenance work in this large metropolis of 9,965 km², which to date suffers from a poor road network (80% of unpaved roads), poorly regulated public road transport, and dysfunctional urban rail service.
Also Read:Â Rehabilitation and modernisation of Port of Kalemie in DRC to be undertaken
The JICA contribution is a part of an urban mobility assistance project signed back in 2018 between the governments of East Asian and the Central African countries.
Urban Transport Master Plan for the city of Kinshasa
Along with the urban mobility assistance project, Japan is also supporting the Congolese authorities in the implementation of the Project for Urban Transport Master Plan for the city of Kinshasa (PDTK).
The improvement of roads in Kinshasa in question, drawn up for the mid-term 2030 and long-term 2040, aims to improve the mobility and transport system in the city province of Kinshasa so as to adapt it to the real needs and to the stock exchange of Kinshasa.
The capital and the largest city of the DRC has rapid population growth, and it is expected to reach around 20 million inhabitants in 2030 and 26 million in ten years later from the current 17 million.
PDTK areas of DevelopmentÂ
The PDTK offers eight areas of development which include improvement of roads in Kinshasa, BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), railways, buses, and para-transit.
The overall cost required for the implementation of the entire Urban Transport Master Plan is approximately US$ 32bn.
