The upcoming DRC Investment Forum 2026 will place agriculture at the centre of discussions on economic transformation as investors, policymakers and agribusiness leaders examine how the Democratic Republic of Congo can unlock its vast agricultural potential and reduce dependence on food imports.

The Agriculture Half-Day session, scheduled for 27 August, will focus on strategies to develop the country’s estimated 80 million hectares of arable land, of which less than 10% is currently cultivated.

Despite possessing some of Africa’s most fertile land and abundant water resources, the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to import significant volumes of staple foods including rice, maize and palm oil due to structural weaknesses across its agricultural value chains.

Forum organisers say the challenge facing the country is no longer about agricultural potential, but rather inadequate infrastructure, financing constraints and limited agro-industrial development.

“The DRC should be feeding itself and half the region,” said Ben Leyka, Chief Executive Officer of DRC Invest. “Instead, it is importing rice, maize and palm oil that could be grown locally at lower cost. That is not a farming problem. That is a capital and logistics problem.”

The agriculture-focused sessions will examine how the country can transition from fragmented subsistence farming toward large-scale commercial agriculture and export-oriented agro-processing industries capable of supplying regional markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

A major theme of the discussions will centre on balancing large-scale agribusiness expansion with inclusive participation from millions of smallholder farmers and cooperatives who currently dominate domestic food production.

Stakeholders are expected to explore aggregation systems, contract farming models and digital agricultural platforms designed to connect small-scale producers with larger commercial buyers and processors.

The forum will also focus heavily on financing mechanisms required to scale agricultural investment in the DRC. Commercial banks have historically viewed agriculture in the country as high-risk due to weak infrastructure, limited collateral systems and market volatility.

As a result, discussions will examine the role of blended finance structures, concessional funding, guarantees and risk-sharing facilities in attracting institutional investors into agriculture, agro-processing and rural infrastructure projects.

Priority investment areas include irrigation systems, mechanisation, cold chain logistics, storage infrastructure, agro-industrial parks and processing facilities aimed at reducing post-harvest losses and increasing local value addition.

Organisers say improving processing capacity is essential if the DRC is to move beyond exporting raw agricultural commodities while importing processed food products at significantly higher costs.

The Investment Discovery Sessions scheduled during the forum will showcase pre-screened agribusiness projects across commercial farming, agro-industrial parks and food processing sectors to potential investors and financing institutions.

The Agriculture Half-Day forms part of the broader three-day DRC Investment Forum programme, which will also feature dedicated sessions on energy and critical minerals alongside youth entrepreneurship and business matchmaking activities.

The forum comes at a time when African governments and private investors are increasingly prioritising agriculture as a strategic sector for food security, industrialisation, job creation and regional trade expansion.

For the DRC, unlocking agricultural production could significantly reduce food import dependence while positioning the country as a major supplier within regional markets across Central and Southern Africa.

Organisers say the success of the forum will ultimately be measured not by policy discussions alone, but by the ability to convert agricultural potential into commercially viable projects capable of attracting long-term investment and delivering large-scale rural transformation.