Japan Grants $27 Million to Boost Electricity Access in Kinshasa’s Mont-Amba District
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has awarded $27 million in non-repayable funding to the Société Nationale d’Électricité (SNEL), the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) national power utility.
The agreement was signed on May 9, 2025, by DRC Minister of Foreign Affairs Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner and the Japanese Ambassador to the DRC, Ogawa Hidetoshi.
The funding is designated to enhance electricity access in the Mont-Amba district of Kinshasa, which includes the municipalities of Limete, Lemba, Matete, Ngaba, and Kisenso.
The project includes the rehabilitation of the 220-kV Liminga and Funa substations, modernization of the transmission system, installation of new high-voltage transformers, and the construction of state-of-the-art control rooms. These upgrades are expected to improve the stability and reliability of the power supply across the district.
This initiative forms part of a broader cooperation framework between Japan and the DRC. Initially, JICA committed $18 million to the project in November 2023. However, following feasibility studies, the budget was increased to $27 million to adequately meet the project’s technical and infrastructural demands.
