Summary of Transport industry :

The Congolese transport infrastructure is vastly underdeveloped. Previously built infrastructure is now decrepit.
Given these conditions, reliable and capable transport and warehousing is in high demand. Margins are high, says a private equity executive looking at the county, but challenges still remain.

Cement imports and mineral exports require a change in the sector. Dependent on the current infrastructure, both heavy construction and mining struggle to reach full potential. Transport and warehousing are necessary to access the most volatile or remote parts of the country. With Brazzaville and Pointe-noire at opposite ends, a lot still must happen throughout the country.

The field of transport infrastructure is also very promising. It is possible to invest in air, road and river, harbor dredging river side. Are also many opportunities to grasp the development and modernization of airport services.

Energy sector :

The Congo River with its basin astride the Equator, provides the Republic of Congo with a usable energy potential estimated at 100,000 MW, spread across 780 sites in 145 territories and 76 000 villages. This potential represents approximately 37% of the African overall potential and about 6% of the global potential.

Many opportunities have been created in the areas of energy and water for which the demand is very high and have been liberalized. Investments include not only the construction, subcontracting and assistance on hydro or gas, and the transport and distribution of electricity.

It is possible to invest in the development of micro-power plants based on solar or wind energy, or bio-based fuels.

The water sector also provides countless opportunities particularly in terms of treatment and purification of water.

Business opportunities in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, arboriculture, fisheries (inland and marine), fish and livestock as well as the transformation of agro-pastoral products, etc.. prove endless

The sector covers in total more than 10 million of usable land. It is possible to invest in the production and export of food products such as coffee, palm oil, potatoes, cocoa, etc.

Other areas such as:

• Production of meat, poultry and eggs
• The construction and management of slaughterhouses
• The production of mineral water and fruit juices
• The processing of cassava and yam
• Units of smoking freshwater fish and saltwater fish salting
• The production of feed, seed and fertilizer
• Rental and maintenance of equipment and agricultural machinery
• Transport and packaging of agro-pastoral and fishing, etc. are all niches

More fertile areas are reported to attract large-scale investment, both in the production and processing of food and cash crops, in forestry and farms .The first phase of the SEZ Oyo-Ollombo involves the use of large tracts of agricultural land located within the planning perimeter, 1460 ha of land for horticulture, and logistics industries and urban development located inside of the central zone. And different cultures used are as follows:.

Example:

• Palm oil
• Cassava
• Rubber
• Rice
• Coffee
• Cocoa and other food products

Congo covers over 13 million hectares of forest production in the country, about 10% of the forests of the Congo Basin. It is possible to invest in logging and in timber production service (charcoal, firewood) and the transformation carpentry.

The Republic of Congo signed the CAADP Compact in 2013, committing to prioritise agricultural transformation and development. An Independent Technical Review of the country’s National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP) and agriculture public expenditure studies were conducted. A number of programmes in the area of agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries are currently being implemented in support of the NAIP.

According to a Biennial Review, the Republic of Congo scored high in terms of implementation of the CAADP process. This resulted in 70% of farm, pastoral, and fisher households being resilient to climate and weather; 10.7% annual growth of the agriculture value added; 100% official development assistance (ODA) disbursed to agriculture against commitments; and 117% increase of the size of irrigated areas from its value of the year 2000.

Until now, the relative abundance of fish and the low levels of fishing meant that the need to devise fisheries management plans was not considered a priority. Going forward, however, it will be essential to develop such plans, outlining how much can be fished to allow their fish stocks to remain at biologically sustainable levels and to ensure that overfishing does not occur

Fish is widely consumed in the Congolese diet, with an average of 26.5 kg of fish consumed per capita annually. This should be measured against estimated averages of nearly 20 kg per capita at a global level and an average for Africa of only 9.8 kg per capita

So rather than taking advantage of the substantial fisheries resources within the country, the Congo spends large amounts importing frozen fish from abroad. Moreover, this practice discourages the development of local employment and leads to a large carbon footprint.

 

The country is endowed with many unexploited minerals which include, cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal.

The exploration of minerals such as iron, potassium, phosphate, zinc, manganese, gold, silver, and diamonds represents many business opportunities.

Establishment of industries inline of manufacture of cement and building materials.

More than 1,000 participants, from across Africa and the globe, came together in the Congolese capital between 19-21 November, for this first forum dedicated to the promotion of investment opportunities in the Congo. Just as on the first day, the Congo’s economic potential was at the core of the high level conferences which punctuated the second day of the forum. Participants and experts were thus able to exchange views on the Congo’s decentralisation policy, which favours the expansion of new centres of activity, as well as on the country’s geostrategic position in Central Africa. Mines and oil, Innovation and ICT, Special Economic Zones and small and medium-sized enterprises: the new sources of growth and jobs in the Congo were also on the agenda of the workshops held on the second day.

The tourism industry is virtually untapped in the Republic of Congo and is offering real opportunities. Areas of intervention are numerous creative agencies and tour operators tourism, construction of hotels and restaurants, sightseeing tours, tourist parks and reserves, development and operation of sites and tours, arranging of cruises , tours and excursions, car hire and transport, escorts and guides travelers, etc.. Congo is conducive to ecological tourism (ecotourism) and discovery tourism, because of the great diversity of its wildlife and forests. Many innovative possibilities available to sophisticated investors

The country is crossed by major rivers such as the Congo River, it has vast wealth of animal and botanical: forest elephants, chimpanzees, monkeys, gorillas, lions, buffaloes, hippos, antelopes, newspapers, various species and rare birds, fish and plants, flowers and trees.

While areas are completely undeveloped and home to forest dwellers known for their traditions, rituals, dances and arts in its purest form.

Ecotourism is combined here with cultural tourism and leisure, and attracts a clientele of both foreign and nationals: river cruises, fishing at sea and leisure resorts, golf practice, excursions and picnics, music, hinges, organizing tours of historical discoveries, etc.

Sector of Oil offers interesting opportunities for investment, particularly in the areas of exploration and development of industrial and commercial units. This is the case for oil exploration in the region of the bowl or large offshore to Pointe-Noire

Congo Brazzaville is the fourth largest oil producing country in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the slump in oil prices in 2014, opportunities in the industry are still kicking. Recently, a new 20-year term licence was approved by the Congolese state oil company, Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (‘SNPC’). Schlumberger Limited will supply support services for the drilling of the new oil well, on the Tilapia oil field. Drilling operations should start by June 2018

As crude prices began to stabilize by the end of 2017, hopes for the oil and gas industry revived. Congo is currently adopting many strategies to stay ahead of competitors. Their main objective is trading its 4th place for the 3rd place, amidst the sub-Saharan African countries. Therefore, chances of expansion in the Oil and Gas industry seem very good.

The Republic of Congo’s crude prices were on the slope during the the latest global price dip. However, crude oil prices rejuvenated as the news was leaked that the country may soon join the OPEC cartel. This highlights their authority and control over global crude oil, since they have a large amount of crude in stock.

Italy’s ENI and France’s Total are among the main crude operators in Congo. If successful in its endeavors to join OPEC, Congo Brazzaville will be on its way to become the 3rd largest crude producer in sub-Saharan Africa.

In figures

• Oil Reserves: 1.6 billion barrels
• Oil Production: 291,000 bopd
• Gas Reserves: 111 bcm
• Gas Production: 240 mcm

The Oil & Gas Year Republic of Congo 2017, which is being produced in partnership with the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, will explore these issues. For a comprehensive view of Congo’s market, see our business intelligence platform TOGYiN.

TOGYiN features over sixty profiles on companies and institutions active in Congo’s oil and gas industry, and provides access to all our coverage and content, including our interviews with key players and industry leaders. TOGYiN currently covers thirty markets worldwide.

Anglo African Oil & Gas has discovered additional hydrocarbons in well TLP-103C offshore the Republic of Congo

• Crude oil is exported from the Djeno Oil Terminal
• The main crude grade is N Kossa Crude

Natural resources include:
petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower