Kinshasa-Matadi Road Project Subcontracts Allegedly Inflated by Millions, Connected to Top Official
(Dakar, 18 July 2025) – A new investigation by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) reveals today that the family business of DRC Minister of Regional Planning Guy Loando held shares in a company that secured USD 70 million in construction subcontracts on a highway project connecting Kinshasa to the Atlantic coast. The investigation was conducted by PPLAAF and published in partnership with Actualitié.CD, De Staandard, Le Soir, and OCCRP. PPLAAF also found close ties between Loando, who was Senator at the time, and the owner of the road project’s primary contractor.
The DRC’s financial watchdog, l’Inspection générale des finances (IGF), launched an investigation into the road project and found worrying signs of widespread misappropriation of public resources and inflated contracts, recommending legal proceedings for “embezzlement of public funds” in 2021.
“The road project is built on red flags of corruption, and authorities found evidence of this,” said Dirk Shaka from the Congo is Not for Sale Coalition (CNPAV). “But the government’s failure to hold anyone accountable and to protect the interests of Congolese citizens is disgraceful.“
Highway to Corruption?
In the DRC, the government has relied on various mechanisms to help finance the development of infrastructure. In particular, it has used a type of public-private partnership known as build-operate-transfer (BOT) contracts. In these contracts, private companies finance infrastructure work and recoup their funds by collecting a percentage of user fees and/or payments from the government.
One BOT contract with a price tag of USD 514 million is for the Kinshasa-Matadi highway. Since 2008, SOPECO has been the private company in partnership with the Congolese government on this project. SOPECO’s sole shareholder is Cong “Simon” Maohuai, a Chinese businessman who is reputed to have had high-level links to the family of former President Joseph Kabila.
As part of its agreement with the government, SOPECO and a Chinese consortium only finance a minority of the highway project, and recoups its investment by retaining a portion of tolls collected on the road and lump sum reimbursements at the end of the project. Notably, the consortium chooses its own construction subcontractors, seemingly with minimal government oversight – which may present a risk for corruption.
Shady Deals and Personal Ties
One subcontractor has been “SIC”, an elusive private company which has won subcontracts on the highway project with a total cost of USD 70 million. SIC was set up in May 2019, and the next month it won a USD 25 million subcontract. At the time, Widal Investment, a family company controlled by then-senator Guy Loando and his wife, held 35% of SIC’s shares.
But SIC and SOPECO are connected by more than just this highway project. Reportedly, Guy Loando also has personal ties to SOPECO’s sole shareholder, “Simon” Cong Maohai. On the Loando’s charitable foundation’s website, Loando calls Cong his mentor and business partner.
Loando was also a shareholder in the company Congo Construction Company (CCC), which received a USD 55 million injection from foreign sources — this money, according to Congo Hold-Up investigations, was seemingly allocated for Kabila and his inner circle.
Accountability on Hold
Then, in 2021, just days before Loando was made Minister, the Congolese government submitted an investigative report on the Kinshasa-Matadi road project. The IGF, which oversees government finances, recommended legal proceedings against Simon Cong and a number of government officials for embezzling public funds. The report also found that budgets for the highway projects, including work that SIC was subcontracted to do, were excessively inflated by tens of millions of dollars.
The road project appears to be another instance where public resources are used in a manner that directly contradicts the public interest: investment in critical infrastructure falls victim to poor oversight, alleged favouritism, and, according to the IGF, the misappropriation of public funds.
In one of the continent’s most populous nations — already grappling with armed conflict, a humanitarian crisis, and political instability — infrastructure is a lifeline that means more than just development. Reliable infrastructure empowers people to build their communities and shape their futures. In contrast, poor-quality roads limit access to essential services like healthcare, education, and employment, while driving up the cost of goods and isolating rural and underdeveloped communities. Corruption, therefore, is not just about the loss of public funds but the loss of opportunities, for Congolese and for the country.
In response to requests for comment, Loando said that he “received no personal benefit” from the company as he was not a shareholder. He declined to answer any other questions about the firm or the documents that showed his family had been one of its original shareholders.
“The absence of effective state oversight creates fertile ground for corruption“, said Jimmy Kandé, PPLAAF’s West Africa Director. “Fighting against impunity is essential to defend the public services that have been denied to the Congolese population.”
At the date of publication, Simon Cong and Guy Loando are yet to be held to account.
About PPLAAF
The Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa is a non-governmental organisation established in 2017 to protect whistleblowers and advocate and engage in strategic litigation on their behalf when their revelations deal with the general interests of African citizens.
For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact
Email: communications@pplaaf.org, Phone: +33 6 58 01 61 96
