CONGO BRAZZAVILLE Law and Practice Contributed by: Louis-Raymond Gomes and Prince Kyssama Dikoulou, Cabinet Gomes
1. Transaction Activity 1.1 Private Equity Transactions and M&A Deals in General Over the past 12 months, private equity and M&A activity in Congo-Brazzaville have remained relatively modest but strategically focused, with energy, agricul - ture and infrastructure emerging as the dominant sec - tors. Other new sectors following that trend include fintech companies as well as the hospitality sector, which saw the highest increase in terms of numbers of investments and operations on both a small and large scale. Events such as the Congo Energy & Investment Forum in March 2025 – which featured a dedicated invest - ment “deal room” – also point to an increasing appe - tite for structured, high-impact transactions in the country’s energy and infrastructure ecosystems. The REF 2025 forum, held in Brazzaville in June 2025, positioned Congo-Brazzaville as a key hub for fran - cophone business and investment. Gathering over 2,000 participants from more than 40 countries, it led to major announcements – most notably Africa Global Logistics’ EUR1 billion investment in the port of Pointe-Noire. The event also focused on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development, region - al integration, and value chains strengthening across the francophone space. REF 2025 provided strong momentum to private investment and reinforced Congo-Brazzaville’s strategic role in Central Africa’s economic landscape. While Congo-Brazzaville’s private equity ecosystem remains relatively small compared to larger African markets, recent trends indicate a selective but grow - ing investor interest. The appearance of some family offices and private equity funds in the country also constitutes a major trend contributing to the growth of the sector. 1.2 Market Activity and Impact of Macro- Economic Factors Besides the oil and gas sector, which sees continuing growth from historical players, the agricultural and fin - tech/technology sectors have seen several new start-
up companies and multinationals backed by private funds enter the scene. The general difficulty that the regional foreign exchange regulation imposes on the country has led to a rush of fintech companies offering alternatives to the traditional banking sector for international transfer and remittances. The government’s efforts to digitalise much of its administration has also led to the same result in com - panies working within that space. As food security is a growing concern, the agricul - tural sector has seen several heavy investments from private funds aiming to develop the industry, with the government offering considerable tax incentives to players. 2. Private Equity Developments 2.1 Impact of Legal Developments on Funds and Transactions As the government works to finalise a new Gas Code and associated Gas Master Plan aimed at attracting further private capital, there is growing interest in the jurisdiction for investment. The 2022 private-public partnership regulation also created a framework that gives comfort to investors coming into the jurisdiction. Many efforts have been made by the government in the creation of special economic zones and an attractive investment charter, to help make Congo a destination hub for investment in various sectors. 3. Regulatory Framework 3.1 Primary Regulators and Regulatory Issues In the Republic of the Congo, private equity trans - actions are generally governed under Regulation No 2/18/CEMAC/UMAC/CM on Foreign Exchange Regulation in the CEMAC zone, which provides the overarching legal framework for cross-border capital movements and foreign investments.
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