The Congo Basin holds the world’s second largest tropical rainforest but remains severely underfinanced for sustainable land use. Most businesses are small and seen as risky, while investors cite a lack of bankable deals and weak market infrastructure. To address this, CAFI launched PRO-CONGO to unlock private finance for nature-based solutions by combining technical assistance, incubation and blended finance instruments such as concessional loans, guarantees and reimbursable grants. PRO-CONGO is a UNEP/UNCDF joint programme catalyzing nature-positive private investment across the DRC, Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Cameroon. It blends technical assistance with (repayable) grants, concessional loans, and guarantees to de-risk deals and crowd in co-financing. Phase I is CAFI-funded at $14.997M within a ~$29.57M envelope, targeting about $90M in leverage. Targets include loans to 4–6 mature firms and ~15 SMEs, ~7,000 beneficiaries, and up to ~6.16 MtCO₂e in avoided emissions.
PRO-CONGO: Catalytic Private Sector Investment in Congo Basin Natural Capital
Countries:
Regional
Topics:
Private SectorPayments for Environmental Services+2
Status:
Funds Transferred
Amount:
$ 14,996,738
Start Date:
11/04/2025
End Date:
01/12/2027
Implementing Organizations:
UNCDFUNEP
National Partners:
-
Timeline
Objectives
PRO-CONGO combines business incubation, technical assistance and financing to develop deforestation-free value chains and nature-based solutions in four Congo Basin countries. It seeks to attract private investment that protects forests, supports sustainable agriculture and expands clean-energy access.
ProCongo seeks to
- Build a bankable pipeline of enterprises aligned with CAFI’s Private Sector Investment Framework to scale inclusive, deforestation-free value chains.
- Catalyse private capital with blended finance (e.g., concessional loans/guarantees) and partnerships to crowd in co-financing.
- Promote sustainable land-use management to reforest, curb deforestation, and deploy sustainable agroforestry practices and technologies.
- Accelerate clean-energy access via strategic anchor investments to reduce emissions and pressure on forests.
- Link activities across sectors to create a self-reinforcing market cycle that compounds impact over time.
millions dollars approved
million dollars transferred
Results to date
By 30 June 2026:
• Business support: close to 900 applications were received for incubation and acceleration programmes across four countries. More than 360 met the selection criteria, and approximately 150 enterprises entered the bootcamp phase. Five local entrepreneurship organizations are delivering the support.
• Investment pipeline: a separate call for businesses seeking finance attracted 185 applications. Twenty-eight companies were selected for further assessment, and two advanced to detailed investment due diligence.
• First investments: financing agreements were signed for a herbal-tea business in the DRC and a cocoa-processing initiative in Cameroon. M.Y. Success received a USD 500,000 financing package combining a grant and loan; AgroPME Fondation secured approximately USD 250,000 in grant funding. Together, these investments support deforestation-free sourcing and local processing. Approximately USD 500,675 had been disbursed to the two initiatives by June 2026.
Documents
| Document Name | Date | Download |
|---|---|---|
 Project document - PRO-CONGO Catalytic - UNCDF/UNEP |
10/03/2025 |
Download 
|