In the presence of a diverse audience—including representatives from ministries on the TRANSFORME DRC Project Steering Committee, financial institutions, bilateral organizations, and SME support structures—UCP Transforme presented the outcomes of its recent mission focused on communication, awareness-raising, and the identification of new businesses aged 3 to 36 months, conducted as part of the Entrepreneurship Promotion Training (FOPE).

The workshop, held on the morning of Thursday, April 24th at the Sultani Hotel in Kinshasa, highlighted the findings from a mission carried out by the Target_KivuEntrepreneurs_Dellions consortium in the seven cities covered by the project: Kinshasa, Matadi, Goma, Bukavu, Bunia, Mbuji-Mayi, and Kananga.

Mallory Luntadi, Operations Manager at UCP Transforme, provided context for the launch of the FOPE initiative: “FOPE was designed to build the capacity of newly established businesses—particularly those still operating informally—by offering structured training across twelve core modules. These modules cover vital areas such as entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, and management,” she explained.

Following her remarks, Serge Mumbu (General Manager of Target Sarl) and Michel Kahasha (CEO of Dellions), two of the consortium leaders, shared key findings from the mission. Their presentation was followed by Mr. Odon-Charles Mubiala, SME Specialist, who gave a comprehensive overview of the Transforme project and its various components.

The mission aimed to inform and mobilize young businesses about the importance of formal registration and digital transformation, while also showcasing the opportunities available through the Transforme project. A crucial aspect was the collection of detailed data on these businesses and their founders, leading to the creation of a structured directory of beneficiaries.

A total of 46,918 new businesses were identified during the mission, of which 30,653 were formally registered. Out of these, 12,000 businesses were selected to participate in FOPE. Upon completing the training, these businesses will be eligible to apply for the Business Plan Competition (COPA), through which winners will receive both technical and financial support to help scale their ventures.

In addition, the data collected offers valuable insight into the entrepreneurial landscape of the target cities. It highlights the everyday challenges faced by new business owners and provides analysis across several indicators, including:

• Sector
• Gender
• Age
• Education
• Level of formalization
• Marital status
• Number of employees
• Dependents supported