In an effort to promote the country's economy, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has launched a major financial centre in the capital Kinshasa.
The Kinshasa Financial Center is strategically located in Gombe district, western DRC.
The construction of 11 buildings in a165,000-square metre area started in February 2022, and was completed in December 2023.
The design and construction of the modern building has been done by Turkish construction company Milvest, a subsidiary of Miller Holding.
Record time
The foundation stone was laid in June 2022. It has taken Turkish engineers one-and-a-half years to complete the major project.
At least 3,000 workers, including 1,500 Congolese and 1,500 Turks, have worked on the construction.
If it was one of the dreams of President Felix Tshisekedi to build DRC, and place it in a unique position globally, the dream has been achieved after opening the financial centre.
When the centre officially starts operations, 5,000 people are expected to work at the facility.
What the centre has
The centre has important institutions such as the Ministry of Finance and Budget, the Directorate General, the Auditor General, the Central Secretariat of Finance and the Development Bank. There are nine institutions linked to the ministry of finance.
The centre is managed by state-owned Investment Fund commercial organisation, which manages real estate.
A professional office building with 19 floors is the tallest. Within the area, there is a hotel complex, a private investment of the Milvest company.
Among the unique characteristics of the financial centre is its modern congress centre that has a capacity of 3,000 people, making it one of the largest congress centres in Africa.
Türkiye-DRC relations
There are also private halls for small meetings that can generally accommodate up to 10,000 people.
For business guests, the centre has a 240-room hotel with 1,100 parking area.
In February 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited DRC as part of Türkiye-DRC bilateral relationship.
During his visit, Erdogan signed several agreements on security, defence and infrastructure.
Terms of deal
According to the construction contract's terms, the high-quality infrastructure built by Milvest will be DRC government's property after 49 years.
The chairman of Miller Holding, Turhan Mildon, told TRT Afrika that logistical issues were a major challenge during construction.
More than 1,500 people attended the opening ceremony on December 19. Congolese citizens have warmly welcomed the project constructed at a cost of $290 million.
The official launch was held a few hours to DRC's December 20, 2023 general election.
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