José Mpanda pushes forward with drc sovereign satellite acquisition
A Luba proverb says, “Musuminyina katu wabula” — meaning those who persevere eventually achieve their goals. Me José Mpanda Kabangu, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, embodies this spirit. He is more determined than ever to secure something he couldn’t accomplish during his first ministerial role in September 2019 at the Ministry of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation: providing the Democratic Republic of Congo with its own sovereign satellite.
On Friday, June 5, Minister José Mpanda hosted a delegation from Chinese firms China Unicom and Genew Technologies in Kinshasa. The discussions focused on building the sovereign satellite and rolling out fiber optic infrastructure across the country. This meeting followed his recent mission to China in April, where he laid the groundwork for these talks.
The audience included experts from various Congolese institutions: the General Secretariat of PTNTIC, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPTC), the Congolese Fiber Company (SOCOF), the National Satellite Telecommunications Network (RENATELSAT), the National Remote Sensing Center (CNT), as well as senior advisers from the Presidency and Prime Minister’s office responsible for PTNTIC.
Mpanda explained that his trip to China was political — seeking solutions for the nation — but the real technical discussions needed involvement from experts. That’s why the two Chinese firms are now in Kinshasa until June 19, engaging with Congolese specialists on the satellite project (a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in April) and the national fiber optic backbone (whose agreements were revised in 2025).
Three key objectives are being pursued during talks that began Monday, June 8:
1. Technical and Financial Structuring Validate the technical architecture of both projects, estimate costs, and finalize funding arrangements with the Ministries of Planning and Finance.
2. Consultation and Institutional Alignment The Chinese firms must formally notify and present to all stakeholders: RENATELSAT, SCPT, SOCOF, CNC, CNT, SG PTNTIC, ARPTC, the Presidency, and the Prime Minister’s office.
3. Preparation for Due Diligence in China and Next Steps Define the scope and timeline, identify Congolese delegates and sites to visit, produce deliverables before departure, and outline subsequent phases after due diligence.
Minister Mpanda expects four concrete outcomes from these discussions:
- Validated technical solutions;
- Finalized financing approach;
- Aligned stakeholders; and
- Planned due diligence mission.
The Congolese institutions involved in this project include the Presidency, Prime Minister’s office, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Mines, and the National Cyber Defense Council (CNC). Technical entities include the PTNTIC General Secretariat, ARPTC, FDSU, SOCOF, SCPT, RENATELSAT, and CNT.
