Production sharing project in the Republic of Congo

Law 33-2020 of July 8, 2020 on the Forestry Code established a major reform, namely the principle of production sharing in its articles 104, 106, 107, 108 and 109. It recommended that the implementation of this principle be preceded by a study that would define its modalities.
This study was entrusted to the firm Forêts Ressources Management Ingénierie (FRMI), on the basis of a service contract and terms of reference (TOR) drawn up by the Ministry of Forest Economy.
In February 2021, the European Forest Institute (EFI), under funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), carried out a consultation with stakeholders as part of the preparatory legal study for the revision and participatory development of the texts implementing the new forestry law in the Republic of Congo. A participatory workshop was also organized to review the work and resulted in the definition and validation of a roadmap for the development of the application texts of Law 33-2020 produced by the preparatory legal study.

In January 2022, the Ministry of Forest Economy (MFE) of the Republic of Congo organized several workshops to present the conclusions of this study to all stakeholders (Parliamentarians, technical and financial partners, civil society, private sector). The workshop for the private sector, represented by members of the UNICONGO forestry federation, the UNIBOIS union and non-affiliated companies, was held on January 27, 2022 in Brazzaville. On this occasion, the representatives of the logging companies once again asked for the full report of the study in order to make their observations and suggestions. The MFE responded favorably to this request.

A Multi-Stakeholder Working Group (MSWG) was set up by the MFE. The private sector is represented in this group by 5 structures: UNICONGO Forest Federation, UNIBOIS, ATIBT Congo, craftsmen association and a company not affiliated to a trade union.
The inaugural session of the MSWG, chaired by the Minister of Forest Economy, took place on Wednesday, February 9, 2022. All stakeholders involved were represented. The next steps include the review by the MSWG of 11 decrees and 2 draft laws, including the draft law on wildlife and the draft law on production sharing. The MSWG is already at work and is expected to present the first results by the end of February 2022.
The ATIBT is closely following this topic, which presents many questions, including the economic viability of our companies, compatibility with sustainable management and a certification approach, among others. An expert has been mobilized to carry out an initial analysis, but other experts will be called upon by the profession. We will follow closely the evolution of this subject.
Country representative : Alain TIOTSOP