+ Congo River Basin The Role of International Money
Feb 22, 2016
+
Congo River Basin
The Role of International Money
+Outline
Hydrology of the basin Resources within the basin Geopolitical background Role of international parties
+Hydrology
Catchment area: 3.7 M km2
Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Angola, Cameroon, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia
2nd largest in world Length: 3,100 km Discharge: 40,000 m3/s Highest potential for
hydropower development
+Area and Precipitation
Area of Country within Basin (km2)
Angola Bu-rundiCameroo
n
Cen-tral African Re-pub-lic
DR Congo
Re-pub-lic of Cong
o
Rwanda
Tanza-nia Zambia
Area of Country within Basin (km2)
AngolaBurundiCameroonCentral African Repub-licDR CongoRepublic of CongoRwandaTanzaniaZambia
Angola
Burundi
Cameroon
Central African Repub-
lic
DR CongoRepub-lic of
Congo
Rwanda
Tan-zania
ZambiaAvg. Annual Rainfall (mm)
+Congo Forest
1.6 M km2
3 million people 400 species of mammals
Gorillas Bonobos Elephants
1000 species of birds >10,000 species of plants
3000 found only in this forest
8 World Heritage Sites
+Resources
Timber, copper, cobalt, coltan, gold, manganese, uranium, oil, and diamonds
64-80% of world’s reserves in coltan, but only 10% of world’s production
+Geopolitical Background in DRC
1908: established as a Belgian colony
1960: gained independence Mobutu in power for 32 years 1994: start of civil war 1997: Laurent Kabila came into
power 1999: ceasefire signed 2001: Laurent Kabila
assassinated
Joseph Kabila (son) became the head of state
2002: Pretoria Accord signed
Elections in 2006 and 2011 J Kabila won reelection
(49%) Carter Center – election
lacked credibility >24 people killed and
100,000 people displaced since election
+Democratic Republic of Congo Poorest country in the world
71% of population below the poverty line $13.5 B in external debt (86th in world)
1.4 M internally displaced people (IDP) (2007) Longest deployment of UN Peacekeeping Forces (since 1999) International land disputes with the Republic of the Congo,
Uganda, Zambia, and Angola Export partners: China 46.9%, Zambia 23.3%, US 10.4%,
Belgium 4.2% Import partners: South Africa 19.2%, China 12.5%, Belgium
9.2%, Zambia 8.8%, Zimbabwe 6.9%, France 5.8%, Kenya 5.8%
+Congo River Basin
Southern African Development Community (SADC) Water Sector Working to improve data and communication in the region
Commission of the Congo-Oubangui-Sangha Basin (CICOS) DRC, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African
Republic 2003: ratified the accord creating the organization Emphasis on navigation, then water resource management
Interest in diverting water to Chad, but not enough data in Congo
Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) Burundi, DRC, Tanzania, Zambia Created in 2008 Regional oversight and management of the lake and its resources
Agreements among Member States
+International Involvement
Finland: EUR 100 M SADC Regional Meteorology Project
Food and Agriculture Organization of UN AQUASTAT
Germany: EUR 2.5 M CICOS
Netherlands: EUR 4.7 M WaterNet Trust
Sweden: EUR 3 M Water Demand in Southern Africa
United Nations Development Program: USD 52.5 M LTA
+Role of International Parties
“Economic structures favored foreign investment, particularly in the extractive industry, and little had been achieved to empower and build the capacity of citizens.” – WWF report on Cameroon
+International Aid to DRC from IMF5 year average of aid given in US$ M
Action relating to debt
Administrative costs
Economic in-frastructure and services
Education
Health and populationHumanitarian aid
Multisector/cross-cutting
Other social sectors
Production sectors Program assistance
unallocated/unspec-ified
Aid by Sector
+Type of Financing by IMF
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009-1000
010002000300040005000600070008000
Type of Financing (US$ M)
Net Debt Relief GrantsRepaymentsGross LoansOther Grants
+DRC and China
Relationship began in 1972 China offers aid through education, hospitals, agriculture,
infrastructure Exponential increase in trade since 2004 Sicomines
Barter deal arranged in 2008 $9 B in infrastructure for mining concessions in Katanga province (~$50
B) Controversial and opposed by some within DRC and internationally
Not enough transparency Favors China too much Worries regarding debt sustainability
+Discussion Questions
What are some potential issues with different types of foreign aid?
How can foreign involvement be beneficial for the people of the DRC?
What are some competing interests with development and how can they be resolved?
What are some similarities and differences between the Congo and the Amazon?
+
Not well regulated or enforced Disrupts gorilla habitats Roads allow militants to move more easily More poaching and brushmeat trade from militants and
IDPs Can affect carbon cycle and contribute to climate
change UNESCO and WWF trying to stop the exploitation of
timber but it is a significant export for the region
Logging