Press Release
After the Bukanga Lonzo Debacle
Putting an End to the White Elephant of Large-Scale Agricultural Projects in the DRC
On May 20, 2025, the DRC Constitutional Court handed down harsh sentences of forced labor for embezzlement to three key players in the Bukanga Lonzo agro-industrial park project, including former Prime Minister Matata Ponyo.The debacle of the Bukanga Lonzo park demonstrates the urgent need to stop large-scale agricultural projects in the DRC.The PRODAN project, currently being established in Ngandajika (Lomami province) through a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB), is doomed to a fate similar to that of the Bukanga Lonzo agro-industria, Oakland/Kinshasa - On May 20, former DRC Prime Minister Matata Ponyo, former Central Bank Governor Deogratias Mutombo, and South African businessman Christophe Grobler, were found guilty of embezzlement related to the Bukanga Lonzo Agro-Industrial Park project. Matata Ponyo was sentenced to 10 years of forced labor, and the other two received five years. The court also ordered the confiscation of the assets of the first two, as well as the deprivation of their civil and political rights for five years.