Democratic Republic of Congo Systematic Country Diagnostic : Policy Priorities for Poverty Reduction and Shared Prosperity in a Post-Conflict Country and Fragile State
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a classic example of the paradox of plenty, since the country is extremely rich in natural resources while its population is extremely poor. It is the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with a...
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Format: | Report |
Language: | English |
Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/171101529346675751/Congo-Democratic-Republic-of-Systematic-country-diagnostic http://hdl.handle.net/10986/30057 |
Summary: | The Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC) is a classic example of the paradox of plenty, since
the country is extremely rich in natural resources while its
population is extremely poor. It is the largest country in
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with a total surface area of about
234 million hectares (equivalent to the size of Western
Europe). Poverty in the DRC remains pervasive, and greater
than the SSA average. About two-thirds of the population
lives below the poverty line. Chapter 2 of the systematic
country diagnostic (SCD) shows that between 2005 and 2012
the proportion of people living below the poverty line
declined from 69.3 percent to 64 percent, respectively.
Demographic trends, reinforced by gender discrimination and
lack of social policies, contributed to maintaining poverty
at relatively high levels. The poor state of infrastructure
is a major constraint on sustainable and inclusive growth in
the country. The country’s weak institutions failed to build
the foundations of a resilient economy and absorb external
shocks, hence exposing the society to cycles of violence and
impoverishment. The report identifies five major emerging
opportunities and priority areas where policy actions can
provide quick wins and build cumulative and virtuous cycles
to sustain inclusive growth and foster resilience and shared
prosperity over the next decade: (1) building the resilience
of the macroeconomic framework; (2) building inclusive
institutions and strengthening governance; (3) leveraging
natural resources, infrastructure, and agriculture; (4)
building human capital; and (5) leveraging the private
sector by effectively implementing investment climate
reforms, and strengthening institutions that support markets. |
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