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A view of downtown Kinshasa, the Congolese capital.
In the DRC, the Ministry of Hydrocarbons announces that it will launch international calls for tenders in July for sixteen oil blocks. The project adopted in early April aims, say the Congolese authorities, to improve state revenues and increase national oil production.
With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi
Despite opposition from civil society, which fears the impact of such a project on the forests of the Congo Basin, the government wants to move quickly. The Ministry of Hydrocarbons is targeting the world’s major oil groups and the names of the companies selected will be known in a few months. Some have already come forward, according to government sources.
Target 200,000 barrels per day
For the government, the global context is favorable to this operation. He wants to go beyond the production of 22,000 barrels a day today and expects to reach at least 200,000 barrels a day.
In the short term, the government is counting on about 40 million dollars that can be generated from the bidding companies in the preliminary phase alone, in particular for the cost of studies.
Growth driven by extractive industries
The DRC’s economic growth for the next three years is estimated at around 6.3% per year, according to the Medium-Term Budget Framework, a document that defines the trajectory of public finances envisaged for the period from 2022 to 2024.
This growth would be driven mainly by the extractive industries. The Ministry of Hydrocarbons, which contributes about 10% to the national budget, therefore aims to be among the key ministries.