From east to west: the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor takes shape

A new development vision is emerging across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): one that links biodiversity protection with jobs, investment, energy and connectivity.

Launched by President Félix Tshisekedi at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2025, the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor is a flagship initiative spanning a 2,600-kilometre axis from eastern DRC to Kinshasa and the Atlantic coast. Covering approximately 540,000 km², it will connect Virunga National Park, the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve and Salonga National Park, creating the world’s largest community-based tropical protected area. 

The ambition goes well beyond conservation. The Corridor seeks to establish a new model of green and inclusive development based on agro-ecological growth, sustainable value chains, renewable energy and improved connectivity. It aims to mobilise more than USD 1 billion for agriculture, energy and transport and, by 2030, create up to 500,000 jobs, reduce violence through economic opportunity and enable one million tonnes of agricultural produce from North Kivu to reach Kinshasa.

For Team Europe, the initiative offers a major opportunity to scale up engagement in the DRC. Around Virunga, a productive base is already in place, including 60 MW of installed hydropower, seven industrial factories and an ecosystem of microfinance, eco-tourism and conservation activities. The challenge now is to expand this model across the wider Corridor.

Investment will focus on four priority sectors: renewable energy and electrification; transport and logistics; digital connectivity; and agro-industrial processing linked to value chains such as coffee and cocoa. Strategic ports, including Kisangani and Akula, are being prepared for rehabilitation, opening opportunities for modern river fleets, containerised transport and cold-chain services.

The EU is already a leading partner, with a multi-sector portfolio of ongoing and planned projects worth approximately EUR 200 million. Support covers renewable energy, road and river logistics, forest landscapes, carbon finance, agro-industrial hubs, Special Economic Zones, governance, trade facilitation and local stabilisation. These investments complement the EU’s NaturAfrica approach in several of the Corridor’s key conservation landscapes. 

A first practical result came in April 2026, when three containers carrying chocolate, beans and soap travelled from Mutwanga in North Kivu to Kinshasa with EU support. The journey showed that east–west trade is feasible at a cost of around USD 340 per tonne by road and river, compared with approximately USD 2,000 per tonne by air. With modernisation, transport costs could fall further.

The next steps will follow a phased approach: preparing anchor investments, bringing mature projects to transaction stage in 2027–2028, and scaling up Team Europe investments after 2028 across energy, logistics, agro-industry, digital services and finance.

The challenges remain substantial: insecurity, regulatory uncertainty, fragmented taxation and limited access to finance continue to deter investment, particularly in eastern DRC. Addressing these risks will require improved governance, stronger public-private partnerships and tailored EU de-risking instruments.

The Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor is therefore both an environmental initiative and an economic one. Its success will depend on turning protected landscapes into anchors for investment, connectivity and opportunity—building a greener, more resilient link between Kivu, Kinshasa and the wider world.