The World Bank Group has announced US$60 million in financing for a project aimed at strengthening poultry and aquaculture value chains in the Republic of Congo, with poultry production being one of the project’s two target value chains. The financing was announced on 7 August 2026 under the Poultry and Aquaculture Development Project, also known as PADeP or PD-2AC. The project was approved on 25 June 2026.
The project seeks to improve the competitiveness and resilience of Congo’s poultry value chain by addressing some of the main constraints affecting producers and agribusinesses, including limited access to quality feed and day-old chicks, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient technical skills and difficulties accessing finance.
For the poultry industry, these constraints affect several stages of the value chain, from the supply of inputs and farm production to processing, distribution and market access.
Improving access to feed and day-old chicks
Access to quality inputs is one of the central issues identified by the World Bank. The project will support improved access to poultry feed and quality day-old chicks, two essential inputs for the development of domestic poultry production. It also includes measures aimed at improving access to improved parent stock and supporting private operators involved in the production of commercial day-old chicks.
The availability and affordability of these inputs are particularly important in a market where domestic poultry production remains insufficient to meet national demand. World Bank project documents indicate that Congo relies heavily on imported poultry products and that local producers face significant competitiveness challenges.
By improving access to inputs, production efficiency and technical support, the project aims to help poultry farmers increase productivity and strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic value chain.
Technical assistance and training will also form part of the intervention. Farmers, entrepreneurs, processors, traders and other value-chain operators will receive support aimed at improving production practices, business management and market access.
Strengthening poultry infrastructure and investment
Infrastructure is another important component of the project. The programme will finance productive and climate-resilient infrastructure in selected Protected Agricultural Zones, helping improve conditions for agricultural production and related businesses.
The project will also support critical infrastructure and services relevant to the poultry value chain, while improving access to finance for farmers and private investors and seeking to mobilise additional private capital.
These measures are intended to create a more favourable environment for poultry businesses seeking to invest in equipment, infrastructure and productive capacity.
The Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries will act as the project’s implementing agency. The overall development objective is to improve the competitiveness and resilience of the country’s poultry and aquaculture value chains.
Addressing Congo’s poultry supply gap
Strengthening domestic poultry production is particularly relevant because Congo remains heavily dependent on imports to meet demand for poultry products.
According to recent World Bank project documentation, poultry-product imports were worth approximately US$222 million in 2024. The same analysis highlights the strong competitive pressure faced by domestic producers from imported poultry products.
The World Bank identifies a substantial cost disadvantage for local producers competing with imported poultry meat, particularly frozen products. In the analysis used for project preparation, imported poultry meat could reach the Congolese market at a cost of less than US$1,000 per tonne, while local production costs could exceed US$2,000 per tonne.
These figures underline the competitiveness challenge facing Congo’s poultry industry and help explain the project’s focus on improving access to inputs, increasing production efficiency, strengthening infrastructure and facilitating investment.
At the same time, the cost comparison should not be interpreted as meaning that all domestic poultry production is uncompetitive. Local producers can benefit from advantages associated with supplying fresh poultry to the domestic market, while imported products are largely frozen.
The project therefore targets several structural constraints that currently limit the expansion and competitiveness of the Congolese poultry industry.
Supporting a stronger poultry value chain
The project will also seek to strengthen links between farmers, producer organisations, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, financial institutions and markets.
Women and young people are expected to receive particular attention within the project’s employment and economic inclusion objectives, potentially creating new opportunities across the poultry value chain.
Environmental and social safeguards will also be incorporated into project implementation. The World Bank’s framework identifies potential risks associated with waste, water use, disease, biodiversity, occupational health and safety and community health. These risks will need to be managed as project-supported production and infrastructure investments are implemented.
The project follows preparatory work carried out with the Congolese authorities and development partners. A pre-appraisal mission conducted in Brazzaville in January 2025 identified limited access to finance, shortages of quality inputs, weak distribution networks, insufficient technical skills and poor market access among the main constraints to the development of the poultry and aquaculture sectors.
For Congo’s poultry industry, the new financing represents an effort to strengthen domestic production capacity and develop a more competitive local value chain. The effectiveness of the programme will ultimately depend on how successfully investments in infrastructure, inputs, finance, technical capacity and market access are translated into greater productive capacity for poultry farmers and businesses.
The aquaculture component remains part of the broader World Bank programme, while the poultry component is expected to contribute to efforts to strengthen domestic poultry production and reduce reliance on imported poultry products.
