By: Energy capital & power

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is intensifying its focus on upstream development and strategic U.S. partnerships ahead of the U.S.-Africa Energy Forum (USAEF) 2025 taking place on August 6-7 in Houston. Leading the effort is a senior delegation from the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, delivering a clear message: the DRC is open for investment, with exploration and downstream development as top priorities.

As part of its hydrocarbons roadmap, the DRC is seeking partners to bring capital, technology, and expertise into its exploration efforts, with a focus on high-potential onshore and offshore blocks. Many of these basins – including the Cuvette Centrale and Coastal regions – remain underexplored. While the DRC currently produces around 18,000 barrels per day (bpd), the Ministry of Hydrocarbons is targeting a major production scale-up to 300,000 bpd. This growth is expected to be driven by new offshore discoveries and a forthcoming petroleum code designed to clarify investor terms and enable joint development ventures.

The Ministry is also seeking to engage U.S.-based downstream and petrochemicals companies as part of a broader push to expand value-added processing and strengthen domestic energy infrastructure. USAEF 2025 offers a key platform for direct dialogue with U.S. investors, paving the way for new deals, technical partnerships and cross-regional energy trade. Current initiatives include the development of a new oil terminal in Goma to stabilize fuel supply in the east, along with upgrades to fuel storage and distribution networks nationwide. These projects create strong opportunities for U.S. engineering, technology and EPC firms to support infrastructure modernization, modular refining and local capacity-building.

Under efforts to foster new technical partnerships and attract capital investment, the Ministry will hold meetings at USAEF 2025 with upstream operators, seismic and drilling service providers, and petrochemical firms interested in entering or expanding in the Congolese market. The DRC is positioning itself as a strategic partner for American energy companies seeking access to a frontier market with significant geological potential, a reform-minded government and growing regional demand for refined products and petrochemicals.

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