Import restrictions extended for 12 months
The Congolese government has decided to renew, for a period of 12 months, temporary restrictions on the importation of certain products, a measure aimed at protecting and supporting local industry. The announcement was made by the Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya, through a series of official decrees signed recently.
According to the ministry's press release, these measures mainly concern manufactured products whose production is already ensured on the national territory. “The objective is to reduce competition from imported products, support local production units and preserve jobs,” the document indicates.
The application of restrictions varies depending on the geographical areas of the country. In the west of the DRC, they concern in particular earthenware and tiles, low-voltage copper electrical conductors and cables, iron bars as well as ethyl alcohol.
In the southeast, restrictions include products such as stainless steel cathodes and detergents, whether liquid or powder. For the southern part of the country, the measures concern copper and aluminum electrical conductors, unarmored cables, copper and lead anodes, as well as certain polymer tubes and pipes.
Minister Paluku stressed that this renewal is part of a long-term policy to strengthen national industry. “We want to consolidate the Congolese industrial fabric, encourage local processing and make our economy more resilient in the face of massive imports,” he explained.
According to the text, through this initiative, the government reaffirms its commitment to stimulating local production while limiting the impact of imports on Congolese industries. The authorities assure that control mechanisms will be strengthened to ensure the effective application of restrictions throughout the territory.
