The most commonly incorporated company types in Congo are:

• Limited Liability Company (SARL)
• Public Limited Company (SA)
• Sole Proprietorship

Upon submitting the required documents, the investor receives:

• The Trade and Personal Property Credit Register (RCCM)
• The business registration number (SCIEN)
• The establishment registration number (SCIET)
• The unique identification number (NIU)

The application is addressed to the minister responsible for the economy and submitted to the permanent secretariat of the National Investment Commission (CNI) at least one month before the commission meeting.

It must be submitted in 30 copies and include:

• An application form
• A feasibility study
• Draft articles of association
• A company formation and registration file
• Pro-forma invoices for equipment
• A technical opinion from the relevant ministry
• Filing fee: USD 1,000

The Congolese education system comprises four levels: pre-school, primary, secondary and higher education, as well as technical and vocational training. Teaching is conducted in French.

The Directorate General for Vocational Training and Employment (DGFQE), established in 2010, aims to bring a skilled workforce to the labour market. ONEMO maintains databases of job seekers.

Indicative average salaries for selected positions (2018):

Affiliation with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) is compulsory for all employers with salaried staff.

Employment is governed by the Labour Code. The statutory working week is 40 hours. Employees are entitled to 26 working days of annual leave.

A CDI may be written or verbal, full-time or part-time. The probationary period may not exceed: 15 days (hourly-paid workers), 1 month (monthly-paid employees), 3 months (supervisory staff and managers). It may be renewed only once and must be done in writing.

A CDD must be in writing (otherwise it is presumed to be a CDI). Its duration may not exceed 2 years, including any renewal. It may be renewed only once for a period equal to or shorter than the initial term.

Disputes are resolved amicably or through the courts, before the Labour Tribunals in the place of work.

Notice periods depend on collective agreements. As a general rule: 1 month (workers/employees), 2 months (supervisory staff), 3 months (managers).

Any foreign national may take up paid employment in Congo. No quota is set on the number of foreign employees. However, a company may only recruit foreign workers if the required skills are unavailable on the local market.

Employment contracts for foreign nationals must be in writing and are subject to a visa issued by the Minister responsible for Labour.

The production, distribution and sale of electricity is handled by Énergie Électrique du Congo (E2C), a public limited company created in 2018. Output has grown from 89 MW in 2000 to over 590 MW today.

Main power plants: Djoué (15 MW), Moukoukoulou (75 MW), Djeno gas (22 MW), Imboulou (30 MW), Liouesso (19 MW). Hydroelectric potential estimated at 14,000 MW.

Projects under way: Sounda dam (600+ MW), Nkouembali (150 MW), Chollet (600+ MW). PPPs are encouraged.

Water distribution is handled by La Congolaise des Eaux (LCDE). Water resources are estimated at 1,588 billion m³/year, of which only 13% are currently exploited.

Three mobile operators: MTN Congo, Airtel Congo and Azur Congo. Fixed-line telephony is managed by Congo Télécom (monopoly). Congo has over 5,000 km of fibre optic networks.

The national land area comprises the public domain (State and local authorities) and private land owned by individuals. State domain management remains exclusively within the State's competence.

Foreign nationals may access land through:

• A provisional occupancy permit
• An ordinary lease (max. 18 years)
• An emphyteutic or long-term lease (18 to 99 years)

Land registration is compulsory. It is carried out at the Directorate General of Taxes and Domains. The land title is final and unassailable, identified by a registration number.

Disputes over registered land fall under the jurisdiction of the competent court of first instance for civil matters.

Three categories of permit depending on the type of construction:

The Government has decided to create 4 special economic zones (SEZs) to diversify and industrialise the economy:

The Congolese tax system is self-assessment based, founded on the General Tax Code of 2012. The tax authority has a right of review up to the 4th year. It covers taxes on income, expenditure, capital and economic activity.

Any person commencing a profit-making activity must, within 15 days of starting, file a declaration with the Directorate General of Taxes and Domains.

Taxes are paid exclusively by bank transfer to the Public Treasury. Payment deadlines fall between the 10th and 20th of each month.

Based on the previous year's turnover excluding tax. A 10-bracket scale with degressive rates:

The Congolese Investment Charter guarantees the freedom to carry out any agricultural, mining, industrial, forestry, craft, commercial or service activity to any person, regardless of nationality.

Congo is also a signatory to all acts of the OHADA Treaty (Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa), which has 17 member states.

Expropriation

Expropriation is only permitted "for reasons of public interest" (Law No. 11-2004). The expropriated party is entitled to fair and prior compensation, determined by mutual agreement or by court ruling.

Capital transfers

The transfer abroad of income from any investment is guaranteed to persons who have met their tax obligations. Remittances abroad are subject to a tax of 1.5% of the gross amount transferred.

Dispute resolution

The Congo Mediation and Arbitration Centre (CEMACO) provides an alternative recourse. Congo is a signatory to the ICSID Convention and recognises the OHADA Common Court of Justice.

Bilateral agreements

8 bilateral investment protection agreements in force: with Italy, South Korea, the United Kingdom, China, Switzerland, Mauritius, Germany and the USA.

Congo has been a member of WIPO since 2 December 1975. It is a signatory to the Paris and Berne Conventions, and a member of OAPI (African Intellectual Property Organisation).

Patent protection lasts a maximum of 20 years from the date of filing. Copyright is protected throughout the author's lifetime and 50 years after their death.

Law No. 6-94 of 1 June 1994 guarantees freedom of trade by prohibiting anti-competitive practices. The Electronic Communications Act (2009) and the Public Procurement Code (2009) reinforce this framework.

As an investor in Congo, you gain access not only to the domestic market, but also to the CEMAC and CEEAC zone, totalling over 174 million inhabitants, as well as preferential access to developed country markets.

Congo has been a WTO member since March 1997 and benefits from preferential access under two major agreements:

Tourism is identified as the 2nd most promising sector after agriculture in the National Development Plan 2018–2022, with a target contribution of 10% of GDP.

Congo has 4 national parks, 9 reserves and a rich cultural heritage (Poto-Poto School of Art, FESPAM, De Brazza Mausoleum, etc.).

Opportunities:

• Development of national parks (Odzala, Nouabalé Ndoki…)
• Construction of 4- and 5-star hotels
• Creation of the Tourism Training Institute (IFT)
• Construction of a tourist complex on Mbamou Island
• Amusement parks in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire

Congo holds significant mineral resources: iron ore, potash, phosphate, polymetals, gold and diamonds. The country could produce 100 million tonnes of iron ore per year within the next decade.

Oil accounts for 90% of exports and over 70% of public revenue. Production is estimated at 300,000 bbl/day (end 2017). Total reserves are approximately 2.2 billion bbl through to 2040.

Congo holds 22,263,000 ha of forest — the 2nd largest forest massif in Africa, covering ~65% of the territory. Annual sustainable yield is 2 million m³ of logs.

In addition, there are 73,000 ha of forest plantations (Eucalyptus, Limba, Pine).