GENEVA: THE DRC SECURES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE WTO TO IMPLEMENT ITS TRADE POLICY
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is set to receive technical support from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) through specialised training programmes focusing on specific agreements, including the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), e-commerce, legal assistance to bring its legislation into line with WTO rules, trade negotiations, the monitoring of notifications, and compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary standards to strengthen the competitiveness of products made in the DRC on the international market; this is in addition to mobilising international donors to support the modernisation of infrastructure to facilitate trade; the result of economic and trade diplomacy led by the Minister for Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya in Switzerland under the leadership of the President of the Republic, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, and the coordination of the Prime Minister, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, on the sidelines of the third review of the DRC’s Trade Policy, which began on Wednesday 28 October 2026 in Geneva.
This support was secured during the technical meeting between the Director-General of the WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Minister for Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya, flanked by experts from the Office of the President, various ministries and technical departments. The meeting took place on Wednesday 28 October 2026, during which the head of this organisation – which acts as the guardian of international trade rules – welcomed the DRC’s settlement of its contributions
Consolidating the soft power of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Minister for Foreign Trade, on behalf of the Government, sought the support of the WTO and its partners in the sustainable management of its forests – which play a vital role for humanity – and in the realisation of the Inga hydroelectric project, thereby strengthening regional integration and the industrialisation of the African continent.
It should be noted that the review of the DRC’s third Trade Policy Review is ongoing at the WTO in Geneva.
