DR Congo Builds Its First Deep-Water Atlantic Port
DR CONGO · TRADE
Key Facts
—First of its kind: Banana will be DR Congo’s first deep-water port, built on the country’s short Atlantic coast in Kongo Central province.
—Who is building it: Dubai’s DP World is the lead investor, with Portugal’s Mota-Engil as main contractor.
—Phase one: The opening stage costs about $250 million and adds a 600-metre quay able to handle 450,000 containers a year.
—Full scale: The whole project is designed to cost $1.2 to $1.3 billion across four stages, deep enough for the world’s largest ships.
—Ownership: DP World holds 70% under a 30-year concession; the Congolese state holds 30%, with UK development finance also backing it.
—Timeline: Dredging has reached 18 metres and phase one is due to open in early 2027.
DR Congo’s first deep-water port, rising at Banana on the country’s slim Atlantic coast, promises to give one of the world’s richest mineral producers its own door to global trade. Backed by Dubai’s DP World, phase one is due to open in early 2027.
Why a country this big has no deep-water port
DR Congo is nearly the size of Western Europe, yet it meets the sea along only about 37 kilometres of coast. That sliver has never held a harbour deep enough for the largest cargo ships.
For decades, most trade has moved through Matadi, an inland river port whose shallow channel limits vessel size. Much of the rest travels overland to ports in neighbouring countries.
The result is high costs and long delays for a nation that sells copper and cobalt to the world. Banana is meant to change that.
What DP World and its partners are building
The Dubai-based operator DP World is financing the port and has hired Portugal’s Mota-Engil to build it. Crews have been dredging the seabed to 18 metres and finishing the access road.
Phase one, costing around $250 million, will add a 600-metre quay and room for 450,000 containers a year. Later stages could lift the total investment above $1.2 billion.
Britain’s development finance arm has committed money alongside DP World, a sign of Western interest in the project.
A gateway shaped by minerals
The timing is no accident. DR Congo produces most of the world’s cobalt and ranks among its largest copper suppliers, and demand for both is climbing with the shift to electric vehicles.
A home port would let Congolese minerals reach buyers without a detour through Angola, Zambia or Namibia. That trims cost and hands Kinshasa more control over its own exports.
It also feeds a wider contest for African logistics, from Angola’s Lobito rail corridor to Guinea’s new mining railway.
The stakes for the region
Ports are quiet instruments of power. Whoever builds and runs them helps decide how a country’s wealth flows and who profits along the way.
At Banana, a Gulf operator and a European lender are staking a claim on one of Africa’s most strategic coastlines. That places the project inside the broader scramble for the continent’s resources.
Success is not certain: earlier plans stalled for years, and Congo’s business climate is tough. Still, steel and dredgers are finally in the water.
A test of Congo’s reform drive
The port is also a bet on governance. DR Congo has long struggled with red tape and corruption, and big projects have a history of stalling.
The government is pitching Banana as proof that it can deliver, courting the foreign investment its mineral wealth should command. A working port would strengthen that case.
International lenders will watch closely, since their money rests on the concession holding for three decades. Stability, not just steel, will decide the outcome.
What it means for everyday trade
Beyond minerals, a deep-water port would cheapen the cost of imports, from food to machinery. Congolese consumers often pay a premium because goods arrive by a roundabout route.
Lower shipping costs could ripple through an economy of more than 100 million people. That domestic dividend may matter as much as the export gains.
For a giant that has always felt landlocked, the sea is finally coming closer.
What to watch next
The near-term test is whether phase one opens on schedule in 2027. Even a partial harbour would let bigger ships call directly for the first time.
Longer term, the question is how much of the mineral trade actually shifts to Banana. Old habits, and rival ports, will not fade overnight.
For now, DR Congo is closer than ever to trading with the world on its own doorstep.
Regional neighbours are watching too, since a busy Congolese port could reshape trade routes across central Africa. Some fear losing transit business; others see fresh links.
Either way, the balance of Atlantic trade is edging southward.
Frequently asked questions
Where is DR Congo building its first deep-water port?
At Banana, on the country’s roughly 37-kilometre Atlantic coastline in Kongo Central province.
Who is financing the Banana port?
Dubai’s DP World is the lead investor, holding 70% under a 30-year concession, with Portugal’s Mota-Engil as contractor and UK development finance also involved.
How much will the port cost and when will it open?
Phase one costs about $250 million and is due to open in early 2027; the full project is designed to cost $1.2 to $1.3 billion.
Why does the port matter for DR Congo?
It would give the world’s top cobalt producer its own Atlantic gateway, cutting reliance on neighbouring countries’ ports and lowering export costs.
Connected Coverage
Congo’s push mirrors a wider race for African minerals and the roads and rails that carry them, from Guinea’s Simandou to Botswana’s pivot to critical minerals; see our running file on Africa: The New Scramble.
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