The commercial outlook for Congolese businesses is deteriorating, despite the expected improvement in economic growth. According to the business survey conducted by the Directorate General of Economy (DGE), only 36,3% of the business leaders interviewed in the second quarter of 2026 anticipate an increase in their turnover.
This proportion has fallen by more than 14 points in three months, reflecting a weakening of commercial expectations among economic operators. Pessimism is simultaneously gaining ground.
Now, 30% of the companies surveyed expect a decrease in their revenues, while approximately one-third envisage a stabilization of their activity. This evolution contrasts with the situation observed at the beginning of the year, when a majority of executives still anticipated an increase in their turnover.
Prospects for commercial development thus appear less favorable for an increasing segment of the private sector. This deterioration is accompanied by a multiplication of operational difficulties.
In the second quarter, 89,1% of the executives interviewed declared that they were encountering obstacles in conducting their activities. Disruptions in electricity supply are among the main concerns, ahead of competition, administrative constraints, and difficulties in collecting receivables.
These factors directly affect the operation of companies and their ability to develop their activities. Power cuts occupy a particularly important place in this deterioration.
More than seven out of ten companies surveyed report suffering from energy disruptions, with consequences for their production capacities and the continuity of their services. Fuel shortages accentuate these difficulties by increasing operating expenses and complicating transport and delivery operations.
Companies must therefore contend with simultaneous constraints on both their costs and revenues. These expectations contrast with the government's macroeconomic projections, which anticipate growth of 5,3% in 2026, supported in particular by hydrocarbons and services.
Despite this favorable outlook at the national level, the executives interviewed are more reserved regarding the development of their own activities. A discrepancy that highlights the persistent difficulties of the private sector in taking full advantage of the expected economic dynamics.
Idrissa Diakite Published on 15/10/26 11:04 The Editorial Staff