Pressure piles on DRC to cancel energy deal

An energy deal between a British firm and the Democratic Republic of Congo hangs in the balance following claims of bribery in the process.

Activists allege the agreement was clouded by exchange of pleasantries to influential figures in the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo leading to the firm being unfairly declared the winner.

According to the Transparency International, a good governance entity, bribes were allegedly paid to the decision-makers of the energy project, a move that would see additional cost passed to the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Similar accusations have been mounted on the government over the unfair awarding of street-lighting project to a Korean company. It is claimed the contract was characterised by favouritism, corruption, opaqueness and decided by “individuals with political clout”. Investigations reveal DRC could lose millions of dollars in the deal.

Statistics show that a decade of war has left a seriously damaged infrastructure network, and the percentage of electrification is actually shrinking as population growth outpaces expansion. In 2014, the national electrification rate in DRC was only 13.5 per cent. Out of this, a mere 0.4 per cent have access in rural areas. The country targets to have 65 per cent electrification by 2025.

Through the “Energie pour Tous” initiative, the DRC government is seeking to support national rural electrification through off-grid solar kits and mini-grids, appreciating the fact that traditional grid infrastructure is not a viable solution in the rural parts of the Central African nation.

The bribery claims is a big setback to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which in 2014 passed a law that completely privatised the energy sector in a bid to attract global private sector players.

So as to hasten its ambitious off-grid electrification, analysts say the Democratic Republic of Congo in partnership with the United Kingdom authorities need to move with speed to unearth the bribery claims. 

Any cover-up, they say, will not only stain the government’s already second-rate global image but also deter international flows of investments, which the DRC government has been yawning for for decades.