New USAID Public-Private Partnership Launched

November 17, 2011

Ambassador presents farming tools to Kingabwa rice producers.

Kingabwa Residents Build a Drainage Ditch

On Thursday, November 17th, Ambassador Entwistle attended the launching of a new U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) project, which is focused on rice production in Kingabwa township, outside of Kinshasa. It is the result of a partnership between USAID, Bralima, Kinshasa-based NGO Batide and the European Cooperative for Rural Development (EUCORD). The project aims to improve the township’s infrastructure, reinforce the capacity of Kingabwa farmers through training and provide local producers with a guaranteed market for their rice.  It will help to improve the lives of 1,500 of the poorest families in Kinshasa and increase the availability of locally grown food in the DRC.