Kinshasa Urban Transformation and Jobs Program, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – Interview with Hyunji Lee

With over 17 million inhabitants and one of the fastest urban growth rates on the continent, Kinshasa the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo generates approximately 12,000 tonnes of waste every day—98% of which is openly dumped or burned. That figure alone captures the scale of the challenge. It also explains why the World Bank has just approved $250 million in financing under the Kinshasa Urban Transformation and Jobs Program, known as “Kin la Belle.”

Structured around three pillars—making the city clean, connected, and competitive—the program aims to build Kinshasa”s first modern sanitary landfill, improve waste collection services for three million residents, and create 70,000 more and better-paid jobs, with a deliberate focus on women, youth, and vulnerable groups.

In the interview that follows, Hyunji Lee (Task Team Leader and Urban Development Specialist at the World Bank Group) reflects on key operational choices, implementation challenges, and the opportunities this program opens for Kinshasa and its residents.

Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing cities. What are the most critical urban challenges it faces today, and why is solid waste management such a priority?

Kinshasa has grown incredibly fast, but the basic city services haven’t kept up—so people feel it every day: streets that flood when it rains, clogged drains, piles of waste, and extremely busy traffic.

Waste management is such a priority because the numbers are huge and you can see it everywhere: the city produces about 12,000 tonnes of waste every day, and around 98% ends up being dumped or burned in the open. A lot of it ends up in rivers and drainage channels—so when heavy rain comes, water can’t flow, and neighborhoods flood.

Fixing waste management is one of the quickest ways to make the city healthier and safer—cleaner streets, fewer blocked drains, less flooding, and less smoke from burning trash. And it also creates jobs, because you need people and businesses all along the chain: collection, transport, sorting, recycling, and safe disposal.

How does this program fit within the broader package of World Bank support for Kinshasa, and how do the three projects work together in a synergistic way?

World Bank support to Kinshasa began in 2021 with the Kinshasa Multisector Development and Urban Resilience Project (Kin Elenda), a multi-sector effort that laid important foundations for municipal services and infrastructure—such as roads, drainage, and public spaces—and piloted nature-based solutions to reduce erosion in areas such as Kisenso and Kimwenza.

Building on that foundation, the 2025 DRC Urban Flood Resilience Project (PRIUR) is scaling up Kinshasa’s flood-risk management by expanding drainage and anti-erosion investments and maintenance and strengthening planning for the citywide drainage system.

Together, these investments also highlighted a remaining binding constraint: solid waste. Uncollected waste clogs drains, worsens flooding, and undermines environmental and public health—especially in dense, low-income neighborhoods. The new Kinshasa Urban Transformation and Jobs Program (Kin la Belle) directly addresses this gap by improving solid waste management and creating jobs, helping protect and sustain the impacts of the other projects over the long term.

Who will benefit and how many jobs will be created?

Jobs are a core objective of Kin la Belle: the program targets 70,000 more and better-paid jobs through project interventions.

The main beneficiaries will be women and youth, including vulnerable groups, through program efforts to support 45,000 people via labor-intensive public works (LIPW) and skills training (including 17,500 women and 12,000 youth).

Component 3 of the project also supports micro and small enterprises throughout the waste value chain to professionalize services and scale recycling/circular-economy activities—helping turn short-term work opportunities into more stable jobs and income over time.

What role will the private sector play in transforming Kinshasa’s waste management system? The private sector will play three distinct roles

It will bring global best practices to the city. The program will engage top international firms to construct and operate modern disposal infrastructure and improve waste collection services. These experienced operators will help introduce environmentally sound, socially inclusive, and durable infrastructure and service standards.

International firms will transfer knowledge and skills to public and private actors in Kinshasa, including the sanitation agency RASKIN and local SMEs. Building lasting local capacity will be a core part of their mandate, helping strengthen institutions in both the country and the city.

Kinshasa’s existing SMEs and recycling companies are a critical part of the private sector. Many have kept services going by collecting household waste and recycling materials—especially plastics—even in the absence of a formal solid waste management system. The program will support to these businesses streamline operations, scale up, and integrate into the city’s formal solid waste management system over the coming years, so they can become long-term partners for the city.

What does success look like five years from now? How will you know if Kin la Belle is working? The program will help transform Kinshasa into a Clean, Connected, and Competitive City.

“Clean” means Kinshasa has a functioning solid waste management system that people can see and trust. Phase 1 will construct the first modern, sanitary landfill for the city and start collecting waste for people in selected neighborhoods, benefiting 3,000,000 people (including 1,500,000 women and 2,000,000 youth) by the project’s end date. Major environmental efforts are expected, such as 3,300,000 metric tons of additional waste treated/disposed and 300,000 metric tons of net greenhouse-gas emissions reduced.

“Connected” means the city is ready to unlock equitable, well-planned riverfront and water-transport investments. The program will develop an integrated waterfront master plan completed and endorsed by the government, which includes multi-modal access and public-space connectivity strategies, and complete necessary financial and technical feasibility studies for waterfront and water transport development.

“Competitive” means the program will translate better city services and investments into inclusive economic opportunity—measured by the creation of 70,000 more and better-paid jobs and 45,000 people benefiting from labor-intensive public works (LIPW) activities and skills training through the program. It also means a stronger local private sector ecosystem, tracked through indicators through over U$25,000,000 investments in waste management-related SMEs.

Concerns about unregulated private development along the banks of the Congo River at Kinshasa’s waterfront have recently attracted attention. How will the Kin la Belle Program approach waterfront development and ensure that improvements to the waterfront serve the public interest?

Indeed, the lack of public access to the river and unregulated development are major concerns for the government—and a key motivation to revisit the current status and long-term potential of the Congo River waterfront. Kin la Belle approaches riverfront development by putting the public interest first: improving safe, inclusive access to public spaces along the river and preparing the technical and institutional groundwork for better-managed, future investments.

In Phase 1, the program will help authorities assess land tenure and the existing land-use system, map economic potential, and test the feasibility of priority riverfront and river-transport investments so decisions are transparent and evidence-based. By supporting planning, standards, and investment readiness—alongside opportunities to expand river transport and ease pressure on congested roads—Kin la Belle aims to maximize public use and benefits for all Kinois while creating a clearer framework that can also encourage responsible private investment.

How can organizations interested in partnering with or providing services to the Kin la Belle program express their interest?

The World Bank provides financing to the Government of the DRC, and all program activities, including procurement and partnership arrangements, are implemented and managed by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU). The World Bank does not receive or process proposals directly. If  an organization wishes to explore collaboration or business opportunities related to the Kin la Belle Program, please contact the PIU at the following address: info@celluleinfra.org. All procurement opportunities are published through official channels in accordance with World Bank procurement rules and procedures.