Congo firms added to AfDB supplier list after Brazzaville training

Friday 3rd October 2025

By inAfrika Newsroom.

More than 100 Congolese companies have been added to the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) supplier database following a procurement rules seminar held in Brazzaville on 24 September, positioning local firms for service contracts linked to the Bank Group’s 2026 Annual Meetings to be hosted in the city.

Speaking on behalf of the Bank’s Director-General for Central Africa, Léandre Bassolé, Olivier Beguy, Country Economist at AfDB’s Liaison Office in Congo, said the session aimed to familiarise businesses with the Bank’s institutional procurement and contract management procedures and to widen the pool of pre-qualified suppliers. “The objective is to raise awareness among companies operating in the Republic of Congo about the Bank’s rules and procedures… to prepare them for contract opportunities linked to the Annual Meetings and beyond,” he said.

The Bank said its institutional procurement volume in 2024 was about $103 million, with 0.09% awarded to Congolese firms—an allocation the government and the Bank want to increase. Ludovic Ngatsé, Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Integration and AfDB Governor for Congo, told participants that AfDB projects and programmes represent “considerable contract volumes” and urged local companies to compete for a larger share.

With the 2026 Annual Meetings approaching, AfDB officials also used the seminar to collect feedback from the private sector to fine-tune processes and improve responsiveness to local market conditions. Marcelle Akposso, Head of the Bank’s Institutional Procurement Division, said the exercise identified “a pool of more than 105 companies” across sectors and expressed confidence that competent suppliers will be available for the meetings.

Brazzaville will host the AfDB’s 61st Annual Meetings from 25–29 May 2026, under a memorandum of understanding signed in September by the government and the Bank. The gathering will be the first Annual Meetings chaired by Bank Group President Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, elected in May 2025.

AfDB–Congo cooperation dates back to 1972, with cumulative approvals of about $1.27 billion. As of 30 June 2025, the active portfolio comprised nine sovereign operations valued at roughly $223.3 million, spanning transport, agriculture, finance, energy, and water and sanitation. Officials say raising local participation in institutional procurement is part of a broader effort to boost domestic private-sector linkages around Bank-financed operations.

The Bank’s procurement framework is designed to ensure transparent, competitive selection of contractors, suppliers and consultants from member countries. AfDB encouraged Congolese businesses to complete registration on its supplier portal and to monitor upcoming tenders tied to the Annual Meetings, including logistics, facilities, hospitality, transport and communications services.