Democratic Republic of the Congo A country in deep crisis
The country is in a perpetual state of crisis and the social and humanitarian situation is disastrous. Some of the biggest challenges facing the country are extremely weak public sector institutions, ongoing fighting (in particular in the country’s eastern districts), a high number of internally displaced persons and growing food insecurity. Almost 20 million of the DR Congo’s nearly 90 million citizens are dependent on humanitarian assistance.
The situation has been made worse by recurring epidemics such as COVID-19, Ebola, cholera and measles. On the newest United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) the DR Congo is ranked 175th out of the 189 countries listed.
Nevertheless, the peaceful handover of power following the elections at the end of 2018 and the forming of a new government in April 2021 after the coalition with ex-President Joseph Kabila was dissolved give cause for cautious optimism. The government under President Felix Tshisekedi is pursuing an ambitious reform agenda aimed at restoring peace and fostering economic development. The international community, Germany included, is supporting these efforts, but is accompanying that support with a close political dialogue and technical monitoring of the promised reforms.
This Central African country plays an important geostrategic role; its political, economic and social development has a considerable impact on the situation in its nine neighbouring countries. The conservation of its tropical forests is of vital importance for the global climate.
German development cooperation with the Democratic Republic of the Congo
German development cooperation with the DR Congo centres on bringing about tangible improvements in people’s living conditions, fostering peace in the unstable region of Eastern Congo and protecting the country’s tropical forests.
At government negotiations in October 2021, the BMZ made a pledge of 100.68 million euros to its partner country for 2021 and 2022, with 46.38 million euros being earmarked for Financial Cooperation and 54.3 million euros for Technical Cooperation. Furthermore, within the framework of transitional development assistance, an amount of 31.29 million euros has been made available to the DR Congo.
The main focus of German activities is on the following core areas:
- Peaceful and inclusive societies
Areas of intervention: peacebuilding and conflict prevention, good governance - Training and sustainable growth for decent jobs
Areas of intervention: private sector and financial sector development, technical and vocational education and training - Protecting life on Earth – the environment and natural resources
Areas of intervention: biodiversity, water
Over the course of 2020, the BMZ made substantial additional funding for mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic available to the DR Congo. Among other things, this funding was used by the BMZ to support the national water authority REGIDESO in suspending the payment of water charges for three months so as to ease the financial burden on households. Furthermore, the BMZ was involved in two studies carried out in collaboration with the Robert Koch Institute in order to analyse the spread of COVID-19 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to develop policy recommendations for the country’s policymakers.
Regional cooperation
The DR Congo is also receiving assistance through several regional projects that Germany is funding as part of its development cooperation activities. For instance, KfW Development Bank is investing in the generation and distribution of eco-friendly electricity from hydropower in the region along the borders between the DR Congo and Burundi and Rwanda.
Transboundary bodies supported by Germany include the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC) and the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP).
