From October 28 to 30, 2024, a collective research phase took place in Kinshasa, involving 16 researchers from the Catholic University of Congo and the University of Antwerp. This research aims to explore working conditions in the construction sector in the DRC, a sector which is highly labor-intensive, yet where almost all manual laborers are engaged as dayworkers, without any official contract. Faced with this reality, the central question remains: how to take further steps towards improvements in the working conditions in this sector?
The collective research phase led to a number of hypotheses to be explored in the months to come by the research team (prof. Albert Malukisa and Davina Mbika at UCC and Anuarite Bashizi and Tom De Herdt at IOB). This research is expected to provide a framework for rethinking the way in which international organizations can promote more equitable and secure employment in this sector.
