Economics & Development

The Subnational Business Ready (B-READY) Assessment for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) evaluates the business environment across four major cities: Kinshasa, Matadi, Kananga, and Kisangani. The report examines the effectiveness of regulations, public services, and operational efficiency in four critical areas of the business lifecycle: business entry, building permits, property transfer, and dispute resolution. While the DRC has adopted important national reforms and harmonized regulatory frameworks, significant gaps remain between legal provisions and their implementation. Entrepreneurs continue to face lengthy procedures, high costs, limited digitalization, weak institutional capacity, and widespread reliance on informal practices, all of which hinder private sector development and investment. The assessment highlights substantial regional variations in service delivery and business processes, with operational efficiency consistently emerging as the weakest area. Enterprise Survey findings further reveal that access to finance, political instability, and insecurity remain major obstacles for businesses. Although reforms such as the modernization of one-stop shops, digitalization initiatives, and strengthened regulatory frameworks demonstrate progress, persistent challenges in transparency, infrastructure, land administration, permitting systems, and judicial effectiveness continue to constrain economic growth. The report concludes with practical recommendations focused on digital transformation, improved governance, enhanced transparency, institutional capacity building, and streamlined administrative procedures to create a more competitive, predictable, and investment-friendly business environment in the DRC.

Cette étude applique la méthodologie de diagnostic Business-Ready et l'adapte au contexte infranational pour mesurer l'environnement des affaires dans trois villes de la République Démocratique du Congo. L'objectif de cette étude est d'identifier les bonnes pratiques et d'éliminer les obstacles dans les aspects réglementaires affectant les entreprises locales afin de créer un environnement plus propice au secteur privé.

This report provides an implementation status update on the World Bank Enterprise Surveys in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as of October 10, 2024. It reviews progress across the Enterprise Survey Follow-up, Micro Enterprise Survey, and Informal Sector Enterprise Survey. The Follow-up and Micro Enterprise Surveys are nearing completion, with data collection progressing smoothly and quality control processes underway. In contrast, the Informal Sector Enterprise Survey is experiencing significant delays due to challenges faced by enumerators in using survey tools, creating risks to timely data delivery. The report outlines key achievements, remaining activities, management concerns, and recommended actions to improve fieldwork performance and support the successful completion of survey objectives.