Democratic Republic of Congo: Growth for All?

This Discussion Paper offers a diagnosis of Congo’s economic governance and recommendations for change. It was prepared in support of the Congo Dialogue hosted by The Brenthurst Foundation and Afrique Avenir Congo at Park Place, Johannesburg on 17 to 18 September 2014. While acknowledging the positive economic developments of the last decade, the Paper provides a detailed picture of the flaws in the country’s governance before suggesting feasible reforms that the Congolese can adopt in order to unleash their country’s economic potential and provide opportunities for more than just a narrow elite.

The Congo Dialogue brought together distinguished Congolese academics, civil society members, and corporate and political leaders to discuss new approaches to ‘building growth and prosperity in the DRC’. Drawing participants from the DRC as well as the Congolese Diaspora in Europe and North America together with a small number of external experts, the Congo Dialogue was established in the belief that despite the country’s myriad problems, traumatic history and extremely poor reputation, real opportunities exist for Congo to break with the past. This Report of the Congo Dialogue reflects the main themes and findings to emerge from the two days of discussions.