Workshop at Enabel Kinshasa, February 5, 2026
On February 5, a team of researchers from the University of Antwerp and the Catholic University of Congo presented the interim results of their research on decent work in the construction sector in Kinshasa at the offices of the Belgian cooperation agency Enabel-Kinshasa. As a reminder, this research began at the end of 2024 with a collective study that refined the research questions and hypotheses for the second phase of mixed (qualitative and quantitative) research, at the end of which the preliminary results were shared with Enabel, NGO representatives, trade unions, and regulatory authorities (labor inspectorate, municipality, etc.). The presentation of these results was mainly based on the Decent Work Assessment Tool, developed by HIVA in cooperation with Enabel.
The finding that sparked the most debate was that the problem of decent work deficits is not concentrated in the “informal sector” but is widespread throughout the economy. Throughout the construction sector, working conditions on construction sites are virtually the same: buildings constructed by companies that present themselves as “formal” and compliant with all decent work standards are in fact built by people working in the same conditions as those employed by informal SMEs: informality is everywhere! This has led to recommendations that could enable the Congolese government and donors to better target their policies and strategies for strengthening social protection in the construction sector in the DRC.