A coalition of Congolese civil society organizations and local communities affected by the Inga dams called on the Congolese government and foreign partners, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), to take into account the demands of the communities local authorities regarding the development of the Inga 3 project.

« The high social and environmental risks of the Inga 3 project are obvious. We communities affected by Inga 1 and 2 have been fighting for decades to get fair compensation and continue to suffer the economic and cultural consequences of losing our land », said Albert Tona, a member of the Inga community.

According to 32 Congolese civil society organizations, many households are at risk of being re-displaced by Inga 3. This forces local communities to make the following claims:

– Prior public consultation;

– Implementation of good independent studies of environmental and social impacts;

– Improving communication on the Inga 3 project, in particular by setting up a communication system that will enable all Congolese to be informed in real time about the progress of the project;

– The participation of civil society as a stakeholder in the project and the consultation of affected local communities;

– Compensation for communities impacted by the Inga site and the Inga 1 and 2 dams, resulting in communities losing their lands;

– The development of micro-dams and other forms of renewable energy to increase the population access rate to electricity which is 9% yesterday.

Recommendations

Faced with these demands, the signatory organizations recommend to the Congolese government to reconsider the development of the Inga 3 project. This will have the advantage, according to them, of taking the time to reflect on the strategies and good practices to be put in place in favor of the development of the energy sector in DR Congo and the increase in the population’s access to clean and sustainable energy.

They have also asked the African Development Bank (AfDB) to work to uphold its own principles in projects supported by it, which dedicate the consultation and involvement of different stakeholders in a project supported financially by it.

Since his inauguration on February 24, 2019, the President of the Republic has repeatedly called upon his fellow presidents and invited various partners to come and invest in the DRC, particularly in the Inga 3 project. including the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). However, in this approach, the demands of local communities should be taken into account.

#RDC : La société #civile sollicitent une réunion avec @akin_adesina le Président @AfDB_Group. Pour partager ces #préoccupations relatives au projet #INGA 3 qui remettent en question les principes soutenus dans la politique de la BAD sur l'#électricité pic.twitter.com/RGkOTGimmp

— OEARSE RDC (@OearseRdc) June 19, 2019

History of Inga 3

Inga3 is part of the larger Grand Inga project, a giant hydroelectric complex project in Kongo Central Province, aiming to achieve a production capacity of about 40 gigawatts. Initially, the project was to supply 4.8 gigawatts of electricity, mainly to be exported to South Africa and to supply mines in southeastern DRC.

If the World Bank canceled its commitment in 2016 following political contingencies in the DRC, the government began in 2017 the resizing of the project by doubling the production capacity, to reach more than 10 gigawatts.

The Inga Project Development and Promotion Agency (ADPI) asked the two competing consortia that bid (a consortium led by China Three Gorges Corporation and another comprising the Spanish group ACS, chaired by Florentino Perez, president of the club Real Madrid) to present a joint offer.

And since December 2019, an exclusive development agreement has been signed between the Congolese government represented by ADPI on the one hand and the consortium represented by the two companies mentioned above on the other.

Agnes KAYEMBE