United States Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo Lucy Tamlyn has officially launched the construction of the new US embassy in Kinshasa.
The new building to cover 75,000 square meters of space is set to cost around US$764 million, Ambassador Tamlyn revealed on Tuesday after flagging off the construction works at the site.
Tamlyn also revealed that the US government will spend US$170 million on Congolese local goods and services that will include labor.
The construction site for the new building is located at the Avenue Des Forces Armées at the intersection of Avenue Mombu in Gombe commune of Kinshasa.
Tamlyn said the construction of the new embassy will expand the US’ diplomatic, security as well as commercial relations with the DR Congo.
“A new embassy is a significant investment and a tangible manifestation of the United States’ commitment to our relationship with the people and government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our relations have made significant progress since the inauguration of our first American consulate on January 2, 1958, but we still occupy the original building on Avenue des Aviateurs, a building which later became our embassy to the new independent State of Republic of the Congo in June 1960,” Tamlyn said.
She added: “It is high time that our physical presence reflects the strong and deep bonds existing between our two countries, which are already manifested through the growth of our aid program to the tune of more than a billion dollars. per year, and the myriads of educational programs and exchanges that we facilitate through our six American cultural spaces in different provinces of the DRC”.
Furthermore, Tamlyn revealed that the new embassy will house a permanent art collection that will have art works done by both Congolese and American artists.
“Art plays an important role in civic expression. We hope this collection will spark continued social dialogue between communities inspired by shared values of justice and belonging,” she said.
Construction of the new embassy is scheduled to be completed in 2028 with around 1,000 to 1,600 Congolese nationals expected to be employed.
