DR Congo GDP to grow 6.3%, economy minister tells GSW, despite ongoing conflict

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is on course for robust economic growth in 2025, the country’s Economy Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba told Global South World in an exclusive interview.

The growth comes despite challenges in implementing a peace accord aimed at removing Rwandan troops and rebel groups from the country's east.

In the interview he:

• Said talks are ongoing with Kigali about economic cooperation, a process begun during talks in Washington earlier this year
• Expressed confidence that the US would renew the AGOA trade arrangements, which give many African goods tariff-free access
• Hailed the country's 6.3% annual economic growth and talked up progress in IMF talks
• Set out the country's intentions in easing a ban on Cobalt exports

Resilience Amid Conflict

Samba highlighted that the Congolese economy has remained “resilient amidst a very difficult context internationally as well as nationally,” citing projected GDP growth of 6.3% this year. Inflation is trending downwards, and the DRC is progressing steadily through its macroeconomic program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “We have kept our promises and our commitments in terms of reforms and in terms of the way the budget has been executed,” he said, expressing confidence in a successful second review of the program scheduled for October.

Despite an ongoing war he attributes to Rwandan-backed armed groups, Samba underscored the government’s focus on economic management rather than solely on security spending. “Security is important,” he said, “but the economy is resilient. Growth is there.”

IMF Partnership and Financial Stability

The DRC receives both technical and financial assistance from the IMF, which provides balance-of-payment support. Samba noted that the country currently holds close to three months of official reserves in foreign currencies, an important buffer against external shocks. “It’s a dialogue,” he emphasised, rejecting the idea that IMF reforms are imposed on Kinshasa. “We discuss, we exchange, and we do agree on what has to be done. So far, it’s going well.”

The country recently completed an IMF programme for the first time.

Separately, it has secured commitments from the World Bank and is working with the African Development Bank to fund the world's biggest hydro-electric project, the Grand Inga Dam. Mukoko Samba insisted that the project will go ahead despite large finance gaps remaining and little apparent appetite from private-sector companies to engage.

Regional Economic Integration

The minister acknowledged that political tensions have slowed progress on economic cooperation with Rwanda but reaffirmed President Félix Tshisekedi’s longstanding commitment to regional integration. He identified the potential for joint exploitation of gas reserves in Lake Kivu as one area where the US-brokered talks could bear fruit. However, his words were accompanied by a warning:

"What we don't want is this illegal exploitation of natural resources from DRC, the use of armed groups to instil instability, to disrupt the rule of law and to disrupt the right of the DRC government to rule its own territory and to manage its own resources. So we can go into deals with any neighbour, but that has to be cooperation, collaboration, dialogue, and not imposition."

Trade with the US and AGOA

Asked about the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is up for renewal in Washington amid a U.S. government shutdown, Samba was optimistic: “I don’t think there is anything to fear about that. We are still willing to discuss with the US government so that we can renew AGOA for the benefit of both.” 

Cobalt and Resource Policy

Samba reaffirmed his government’s ambition to move up the value chain in mining, particularly in cobalt, of which the DRC supplies about 70% of the global market. After months of prohibiting exports of the metal, a new quota system will come into force this month. "The measures that we took in February this year show that there is a way to manage the cobalt market differently," he observed.

The minister argued that local processing is critical to controlling prices and preventing market manipulation by foreign stockpiling. “When you supply 70% of the world market,” he said, “tell me then why you shouldn’t be… at least having a say in where the prices get fixed.”

But prices aren't the only issue; it's important for the DRC to increase its refining capacity so that more profits from the minerals remain in the country. As well as trying to push foreign miners to do more, the government is supporting local initiatives, Mukoko Samba said.

He pointed to the Buenassa project in Katanga, which is establishing a Congolese-led refinery for cobalt and copper with government equity participation.

Interview filmed by Said Echarif at the Crans Montana Forum in Rabat on Oct 3, 2025