The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), about the size of Western Europe, is the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). DRC is endowed with exceptional natural resources, including minerals such as cobalt and copper, hydropower potential, significant arable land, immense biodiversity, and the world’s second-largest rainforest. Most people in DRC have not benefited from this wealth. A long history of conflict, political upheaval and instability, and authoritarian rule have led to a grave, ongoing humanitarian crisis. In addition, there has been displacement of populations. These features have not changed significantly since the end of the Congo Wars in 2003. DRC is among the five poorest nations in the world. In 2018, about 73% of Congolese, about 60 million people, lived on less than $1.90 a day. About one out of six people living in extreme poverty in SSA lives in DRC. Political Context Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, son of Etienne Tshisekedi, the country’s longstanding opposition leader, won the December 2018 presidential election. He succeeded Joseph Kabila, who had led the country for 18 years, in the first peaceful transition of power in the DRC’s history. There are indications that a new social contract may be emerging between the state and its citizens, through the roll-out of free primary education, increased transparency and public sector reforms, and an emphasis on conflict prevention and stabilization in the East. The next general election is slated for 2023. Economic Situation Economic growth rebounded to 5.7% in 2021 after a pandemic-induced slowdown to 1.7% in 2020. The mining sector was a key driver of growth with copper and cobalt production rising by 12% and 7.6 %, respectively. Non-mining sectors (particularly agriculture and services) recovered, growing by 3.9 % in 2021 despite economic restrictions due to COVID-19. Higher commodity prices also lifted domestic revenues, which coupled with increased grants, allowed fiscal consolidation to be achieved despite higher expenditures. Fiscal accounts were balanced in 2021 compared to a budget deficit of 1.2 % in 2020. The medium-term outlook for DRC is favorable with growth estimated to accelerate to 6.4 % by 2023. The mining sector is expected to expand further in 2022 and pick up pace by 2024 as the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine enters its second phase of production in late 2022. However, DRC’s economy remains vulnerable to commodity price movements and the growth performance of its major trading partners which might be disrupted by geopolitical conflicts and a resurgence of the pandemic. The economic consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, through rising global food costs and higher oil prices, has already increased inflation in SSA and reduced household consumption. The fiscal deficit could widen by 2022 as the government is likely to provide some cushion to higher oil and food prices. DRC’s immediate challenge is to maintain political and macroeconomic stability while stepping up ongoing reforms to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth. Human Capital DRC ranks 164 out of 174 countries on the 2020 Human Capital Index, reflecting decades of conflict and fragility, and constraining development. DRC’s Human Capital Index is 0.37 which is below the SSA average of 0.4. This means that a Congolese child born today can expect to achieve only 37% of their potential, compared to what would have been possible if they had benefited from a full, quality schooling experience and optimal health conditions. The main contributors to the low score are low child survival under age 5, high child stunting and low quality of education. DRC has one of the highest stunting rates in SSA, and malnutrition is the underlying cause of almost half of the deaths of children under the age of 5. Unlike other African countries, the prevalence of stunting in the DRC has not decreased over the past 20 years. Due to the very high fertility rate, the number of stunted children has increased by 1.5 million. Access to education has considerably improved over the past two decades, especially for girls and at earlier ages. Between 2000 and 2017, primary net enrollment increased by 50%, from 52 to 78%. However, the quality of education is extremely poor. In terms of learning and achievement, the primary completion rate is only about 67 %, and an estimated 86% of 10-year-olds in DRC are in learning poverty, meaning they cannot read and understand a simple text. Congolese women face significant barriers to economic opportunities and empowerment. Only 16.8 % of women have completed secondary school—about half of the rate of completion for men. Early marriage and high fertility rates represent a challenge, where women and girls without any education have a fertility rate twice that of women who complete secondary school (7.4 children compared to 2.9, DHS 2014). Women’s labor force participation rate in the DRC is estimated at almost 62%, most of whom work in agriculture. While women’s labor force participation is relatively high, they earn considerably less than men and own fewer assets. A 2021 DRC Gender Diagnostic Report identifies three key constraints to persistent and significant gender gaps in the DRC: control over land; voice and agency; and risk and uncertainty including vulnerability to shocks and gender-based violence. DRC continues to experience one of the most long-standing complex humanitarian crises in the world, exacerbated by recurrent disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, cholera, measles, and Ebola Virus Disease. There has been significant vaccine hesitancy in DRC. There is evidence that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on the utilization of health services since March 2020. Specifically, there has been a reduction in the number of antenatal care visits, an increase in the number of pregnancies, as well as increased incidence of sexual and gender-based violence. Close to 23 million children missed out on routine vaccinations in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest number in more than a decade, according to recent WHO/UNICEF data. There is concern that the temporary interruption of basic health-care delivery, including routine immunization services, may lead to a secondary health crisis. Last Updated: Jun 30, 2022
In February 2022, the World Bank Board of Executive Directors endorsed a new Democratic Republic of Congo - Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for the period of 2022-2026. The CPF promotes the stabilization and development of DRC, supporting strategic priorities and critical reforms to improve governance and deepen stabilization efforts. The new CPF places a strong emphasis on human development, with a commitment to help DRC improve access and quality of basic services such as education, health and social protection. The CPF and forthcoming engagements supported under the framework will have a strong focus on addressing drivers of fragility, conflict, and violence. There will also be a focus on mitigating impacts from COVID-19 and building resilience to shocks and climate change. Protecting DRC’s rainforest, the second largest in the world, is also at the forefront of the CPF. About 67% of the country is covered by forests, including 145 million hectares of rainforest, storing the equivalent of 85 billion tons of CO2. However, population growth, exploitation of natural resources, infrastructure development, and agriculture puts significant pressure on the forest. This loss has a significant adverse impact on rainfall patterns, water quality, and food security—in DRC and the wider Congo Basin. It is exacerbating climate change and presents a threat to biodiversity. Furthermore, the World Bank is proposing to engage through large, multi-sector projects that aim to achieve synergies and provide holistic development responses. The WBG will also support reform agendas in a new generation of infrastructure investment projects that aim to bring in the private sector. In support of socioeconomic development and stability and to better protect the rainforest, investment operations will focus on two densely populated corridors that are conflict hotspots where many poor people live. This work includes investments in critical infrastructure (roads, energy, connectivity), agriculture, and forestry, to the benefit of the country’s poor. To support the implementation of this approach, the World Bank has opened liaison offices in Goma in North Kivu province, and in Kananga, in the Kasaï Central province. As of June 30, 2022, the World Bank portfolio in the DRC totaled $7.27 billion, with 21 national projects ($6.71 billion) and four regional projects ($565 million). Engagements span: economic management, governance, and private sector development; human capital (health, education, social protection); sustainable development (infrastructure and connectivity, agriculture and food security, access to electricity and water, urban development); women’s empowerment and prevention and response to Gender-Based Violence. Last Updated: Jun 30, 2022
HUMAN CAPITAL Education
Social protection
INFRASTUCTURE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Infrastructure
Energy
Water
Urban
Forests and Climate Change
Last Updated: Jun 30, 2022
The World Bank is a member of the Donor Coordination Group that aims to harmonize development partner activities in the field. It is working closely with the UN, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, USAID, the Agence française de développement (AFD), the British Development Agency (DFID), GIZ/KFW and the Belgian Cooperation Agency. Last Updated: Jun 30, 2022 |
Which of the following best explains why countries such as Brazil Burma Kazakhstan and Nigeria would construct a new capital city in a different location?
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