MINISTRY OF FOREIGN TRADE: TECHNICAL MEETING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SIMPLIFIED TRADE REGIME-RECOS BETWEEN THE DRC AND ZAMBIA WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE FIRST PROJECT
It is towards the effective implementation of the Simplified Trade Regime-RECOS between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, and this, with the support of the First Project, which consists of facilitating inclusive, resilient and sustainable trade; a C$9.7 million initiative over 5 years, from 2024 to 2029, led by Cowater International, to strengthen the participation of women, youth and people with disabilities in small-scale cross-border trade in the DRC, Zambia and Mozambique.
This program supports the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area-ZLECAF in the DRC, focusing on several major axes including capacity building in partnership with the National Agency for the Promotion of Exports-
ANAPEX to support exporters and inclusion, with the fight against gender inequalities and the strengthening of women's economic empowerment in cross-border trade, but also, regional integration with alignment with the agreements of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa-COMESA and the World Trade Organization-WTO.
During a technical meeting this Tuesday, May 19, 2026 in Kinshasa, focused on accelerating the effective implementation of the Simplified Commercial Regime-RECOS between the DRC and Zambia, Nadira Bayat, Team Leader of the First/Cowater International Project, informed the Congolese Government that First's interventions will aim to improve the commercial environment at the Kasumbalesa border post in order to enable small cross-border traders and Small and Medium Enterprises-SMEs to take advantage of national opportunities and the ZLECAF, with the elimination of non-tariff barriers and the fight against discriminatory practices.
On behalf of the Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya, his Chief of Staff, Benezeth Musafiri Kyakakala, chaired this meeting, and indicated that the First Project constitutes strategic support for the Government's initiatives on the effective implementation of RECOS which grants several facilities to small cross-border traders and populations living along the borders.
Note that a joint technical commission of experts has been set up to prepare the signing of a memorandum of understanding within a short period of time and the development of a road map.
