• DR Congo’s Fogec launches Bokeli, a digital platform to streamline business plan development and financing applications for SMEs and startups.
• The platform standardizes information for financial institutions and reduces administrative barriers to credit approval.
• Over five years, Fogec has supported nearly 300 projects, totaling $3.2 million, while Congolese startups raised $2 million in 2024, highlighting the financing gap.

The Entrepreneurship Guarantee Fund in Congo (Fogec) launched a digital platform, Bokeli, on February 3 in Kinshasa to help entrepreneurs structure business plans and submit financing applications electronically. The platform is part of DR Congo’s broader effort to strengthen SME and startup access to credit.

Entrepreneurs can access Bokeli at https://bokeli.fogec.cd/ to create business plans, prepare financial documentation, and transmit their applications to relevant institutions. The system aims to standardize the data required by banks and guarantee mechanisms, while reducing administrative hurdles that slow financing approvals.

Fogec said the initiative addresses a key challenge in the Congolese entrepreneurial ecosystem: many project owners struggle to produce technically sound applications that meet banks’ requirements. “Our mission is to facilitate access to financing for SMEs, startups, and artisans by providing guarantees to viable projects,” the institution said.

The launch comes amid a growing entrepreneurial environment, driven by a young population increasingly engaged in economic activities. Despite this dynamism, access to structured financing remains limited. According to Partech Africa, Congolese startups raised $2 million in 2024, up from $1 million in 2023, still modest relative to market potential.

Fogec said it has supported nearly 300 projects totaling $3.2 million over five years. By offering a digital tool for business planning and application submission, the institution seeks to improve project bankability and facilitate interactions between entrepreneurs, guarantee structures, and financial institutions, boosting national productive capacity.

Samira Njoya