Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kinshasa Urban Development and Resilience Project

Context and objectives 

This project aimed to enhance resilient development of Kinshasa, by increasing understanding of hazard risks, and by enhancing the uptake of risk information in decision-making processes on key investments.

The project informed the preparation and implementation of the World Bank Kinshasa Urban Development and Resilience project (150 million US$). The latter project supports with various investments the Government’s efforts to improve the living conditions of populations of selected poor and vulnerable neighbourhoods of Kinshasa. The ACP-EU NDRR project made sure these investments were climate-proof and good practices were disseminated.

Activities and results

A flood and erosion risk assessment in the N’Djili urban watershed of Kinshasa was undertaken. It provided a detailed description of the risks posed by these hazards and analyzes what could happen in case of floods or erosion. This has helped highlight key issues and challenges regarding disaster risk and also deepen the knowledge and understanding about flood, erosion and landslide risk in the N’Djili urban watershed in the city and Province of Kinshasa. The information gathered in the flood and erosion risk assessment also informs a prioritization of investments and the elaboration of climate and disaster information for the design of climate-proof infrastructures, including bridges, drainage systems, and roads.

The project also implemented community mapping activities, including an analysis of exposure risk, on the interaction between erosion and flash flooding, driven by extreme precipitation events. The data and layers collected are available on the following online platform accessible here.

The risk assessments undertaken as part of this project informed the preparation and implementation of the $500 million World Bank Kinshasa Urban Development and Resilience Project, which supports the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo in improving living conditions in selected poor and vulnerable neighborhoods.

Partnerships and coordination

The project was implemented principally by the Provincial Ministry of Plan, Public Works, and Infrastructure. Other partners included the Government of the city province of Kinshasa, the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, and the University of Kinshasa. 

Useful link

A Results In Resilience story on Open Cities, including ACP-EU NDRR support in Kinshasa can be found here.