THE government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has awarded the contract for the asphalting of the RN4, Beni-Kisangani road, which is about 670 kilometres, to the China Communications Construction Company.
The related memorandum of understanding was signed early November in Kinshasa between the DRC Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works, Willy Ngoopos, and Zhou Bing, the representative of the majority Chinese state-owned, publicly-traded, multinational engineering and construction company primarily engaged in the design, construction and operation of infrastructure assets, including highways, bridges, tunnels, subways, airports, oil platforms, marine ports and railways, especially high-speed rail.
As per the agreement, the technical and financial feasibility studies for the project are scheduled to last for a period of at most 12 months. The actual construction works will start thereafter, once the financial package has been established.
The beneficiaries of the project
The paving works on this road, which is currently impassable and more especially during the rainy seasons, will link and facilitate transport between the towns of Kisangani and Bafwasende in the province of Tshopo, Nia-Nia and Mambasa in the province of Ituri, and Beni in the province of North Kivu.
The road is also a part of a proposed linkage to the neighbouring Republic of Uganda. Once fully complete, this strategic corridor will connect the centre and northeast of the DRC to the port of Mombasa in Kenya, thereby promoting the development of transport infrastructure and the economy of the DRC in the sub-region as well as enhance security in the eastern region of the Central African Country.
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