The current under developed situation in DRC is due to various factors.
Factor number one is war. War has undermined social cohesion which is one important aspect in which development can take place; also it has displaced people and reduced the economy of the whole country into a kind of informal economy.
Factor number two is corruption and lawlessness. Lack of regulations and strong laws have resulted into anarchy in which majority poor Congolese are victims. Lawlessness has favored inequalities, injustices and corruptions. This current situation dramatically weakens our sovereignty; social structure and above all it impoverish millions of people and condemn the future of millions of children.
What should be done to address this
As a solution, with the war coming to an end, first the central government has to enforce laws at every level, reconcile divided communities over issues such as land and territorial disputes, promote investment and small business that can generate small jobs in local communities, make regulations easy for people in rural and urban areas to access loans to establish businesses. Decentralize utilitarian services such as electricity, access to water, health services, and education services. In this case the central government will be charged to establish a national standard in which local governments at the provincial and district level can implement.
Empower local government services in establishing and building secure environment that will attract foreign investments that will result in the creation of jobs. Increasing small business and foreign investments will create a dynamic society that will be able to produce and consume even export goods that in return will bring millions in tax revenue to the country. In such environment, local districts can build infrastructures such as schools, hospitals, roads that can interlink other territories and provinces. That will save the central government millions of money to plan and build at a national level what can be done at a local one if empowered.
Also, to address underdevelopment, the central government has to reduce official interferences, reduce or centralize tax threshold nationally or outsource that at local or provincial level that in return can contribute to the central government for a national share as stated in the constitution. The central government has to separate the judiciary from the executive to make more independent, transparent, and free from influence and interference from the executive power. Promote manual skills such that can used to rebuild infrastructures around the country, subsidies primary education and access to health care. These few measures will guarantee a strong and future development nationwide.
Jordy Umbalo
Specialist in Social change & rural sustainability
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