11 November 2026

DRC Signs Contracts to Modernise 13 Airports With Four Civil Engineering Firms

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has signed contracts with SAFRICAS, SAFRIMEX, SOKERICO and Modern Construction to rehabilitate, modernise and build 13 airports, including Mbandaka, Kalemie, Matadi and Gbadolite. The works are financed by the public treasury, with first deliveries expected at the end of 2028, and Beni and Isiro are to be added with…

Nine men in suits stand in a row in an office holding orange folders, with a round table and bottled water in the foreground. — Ministry of Transport officials and contractor representatives with the signed airport modernisation contracts in Kinshasa on 29 October 2026. [Ministry of Transport, Communication Routes and Opening-Up, DRC]

Edited by:

African Pilot Newsdesk

Why this article matters
The DRC’s provincial airports have been the subject of government modernisation plans, and with this signing 13 of them move to contracts with named builders, a source of funding and a delivery date. The airports span ten provinces, from Boende and Mbandaka in the northwest to Kalemie on Lake Tanganyika and Muanda on the Atlantic coast, and are split among four contractors already established in the country. The public treasury is funding the work, and the scope covers both the airside and the landside: runway construction and extension, control towers, fire stations, terminals, inspection buildings and freight facilities.

Most of the airports serve provincial capitals, among them Mbandaka, Matadi, Gemena, Lisala, Bandundu, Boende, Tshikapa, Gbadolite and Kalemie, and the ministry presents the programme as part of opening up the country’s regions. Runway, tower and fire station work at these airports bears on the type of aircraft and operations each can support once complete. The first deliveries at the end of 2028 are the next milestone, with Beni and Isiro to follow as further contracts with Mont Gabaon.

Of Interest
- On 29 October 2026 in Kinshasa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Jean-Pierre Bemba signed contracts with four civil engineering firms to rehabilitate, modernise and build 13 airports in the DRC.
- SAFRICAS is contracted for Boende, Kalemie and Kikwit, and SAFRIMEX for Bandundu, Bumba, Lisala, Tshikapa and Matadi.
- SOKERICO is contracted for Gbadolite and Buta-Zega, and Modern Construction for Gemena, Mbandaka and Muanda.
- The projects are financed by the DRC’s public treasury, with first deliveries expected at the end of 2028.
- The works include runway construction and extension, passenger terminals, control towers, perimeter walls, fire stations, inspection buildings and freight facilities.
- Beni and Isiro are to be added to the programme with the company Mont Gabaon.

Jean-Pierre Bemba, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, signed contracts in Kinshasa on 29 October 2026 with four civil engineering companies for the rehabilitation, modernisation and construction of 13 airports.

The contractors, SAFRICAS, SAFRIMEX, SOKERICO and Modern Construction, are experienced firms already established in the DRC, according to the statement. The work will be financed by the public treasury, and the first deliveries are expected at the end of 2028. According to the ministry, the projects are intended to bring communities closer together and stimulate economic exchange.

The signing is part of the ministry’s work to implement the vision President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo set out in his address to Congress on 8 December 2025 for better-connected and more integrated territories.

The airports and contractors are:

SAFRICAS: Boende (Tshuapa), Kalemie (Tanganyika) and Kikwit (Kwilu).
SAFRIMEX: Bandundu (Kwilu), Bumba (Mongala), Lisala (Mongala), Tshikapa (Kasaï) and Matadi (Kongo-Central).
SOKERICO: Gbadolite (Nord-Ubangi) and Buta-Zega (Bas-Uélé).
Modern Construction: Gemena (Sud-Ubangi), Mbandaka (Équateur) and Muanda (Kongo-Central).

The ministry said two further airports on the programme’s roadmap, Beni (Nord-Kivu) and Isiro (Haut-Uélé), would be added to the list with the company Mont Gabaon.

The works include building and extending runways and constructing passenger terminals, control towers and perimeter walls, as well as fire stations, inspection buildings and freight facilities.

Speaking after the signing ceremony, Fabien Kalala, Director General of SOKERICO, said it was a great day for the company and the culmination of a long process of work. He thanked the government and said the company’s work formed part of the President’s vision for modernising the country’s infrastructure in every field.

The ministry places the programme within the wider modernisation of the DRC’s airport infrastructure and the opening up of the country’s regions.