News – DRC: The price of fuel revisited on the rise
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the National Economy Vital Kamerhe, announced in a decree signed on June 7, an increase in the price of fuel in the three supply zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This decision is motivated by the need to preserve the balance of the petroleum product supply system and to strengthen the management of the petroleum subsidy.
In the western zone, which includes the city of Kinshasa in particular, fuel oil goes from 2,845 to 2,985 Congolese francs, while gasoline is now sold at 2,995 Congolese francs against 2,855 francs previously. The price of oil remains constant at 2,450 Congolese francs.
This increase is the first since November 2022. The government then justified its decision by the evolution of product structure prices, the need to relieve the cash flow of oil companies and to maintain the balance of the oil product supply system. in the country. The government says the new tariffs have been applicable since June 8, 2023.
If this increase in the price of fuel comes to satisfy the oil companies, the Congolese populations are impacted head-on. Indeed, this increase will impact the purchasing power as well as the various economic activities of the country.
The DRC is one of the main oil producers in Africa. However, the vast majority of refined products are imported into the country. Since taking office, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, has multiplied initiatives to boost the energy sector and make the country self-sufficient in the production of refined products.
Thus, he launched the construction of the Sultani Makenga oil refining plant in the province of Haut-Katanga. This project should enable the DRC to become self-sufficient in fuels and thus reduce the burden of expenses for importing petroleum products.
The objective of the Congolese government is to ensure that fuel prices are no longer subject to fluctuations in world prices, but remain stable in the long term. The path looks long, but probably possible to make the Congo more autonomous in the production of petroleum products