The World Bank has started consultations with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to prepare a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) that will cover the period 2027-2036. The framework aims to help the country address challenges related to human capital, employment, economic inclusion, and resilience of populations. The consultation process, which took place on September 23, brought together representatives of the Congolese government and the World Bank to discuss priorities in the area of social protection.
The World Bank's new strategy for DR Congo seeks to build on lessons learned from its previous partnership and focus on key areas such as job creation, poverty reduction, and economic inclusion. According to Albert Zeufack, the World Bank's director of operations for several countries, including DR Congo, the new partnership should not be limited to renewing existing programs but rather focus on priorities that can have a greater impact. The World Bank aims to support DR Congo in addressing its development challenges, including a high poverty rate of 69% and limited access to essential services.
One of the main challenges facing DR Congo is the paradox of high economic growth without sufficient job creation. Despite an average growth rate of 6.5% over the past decade, the country's poverty rate has decreased only slightly, from 72% in 2012 to 69% in 2024. The World Bank notes that the mining sector, which drives growth, has limited effects on job creation, and about 40% of young people are unemployed. To address this challenge, the World Bank and the Congolese government are exploring ways to diversify the economy, improve access to electricity, and develop human capital.
The World Bank has identified five main obstacles to DR Congo's development: insufficient economic diversification, limited access to electricity, deficits in human capital, governance challenges, and persistent conflicts. The country's low access to electricity, estimated at 21%, is a major obstacle to economic development, digital transformation, and improvement of public services. The World Bank and the Congolese government are discussing ways to address these challenges and create a more favorable business environment.
The previous CPF, which covered the period 2022-2026, has yielded modest results, according to the World Bank. While there have been some achievements, such as the introduction of free primary education and the KIN-ELENDA project, which provided access to clean water for over 2 million people in Kinshasa, the implementation of projects has been slow. The World Bank has introduced reforms to accelerate project preparation, reducing the average preparation time from 24 months to 12 months.
The Congolese government has called on the World Bank to accelerate the implementation of projects and reduce administrative delays. Grégoire Mutshail, the minister of rural development, has asked the World Bank to consider reducing project preparation times further, to 3-5 months, and to increase its intervention portfolio in DR Congo, which currently stands at around $8 billion. The government also wants the World Bank to prioritize the integration of rural areas into future programs and to ensure that training programs are aligned with market needs.
The new CPF aims to support DR Congo in transforming its economy and creating more jobs, reducing poverty, and improving access to essential services. The World Bank and the Congolese government are working together to design a more integrated partnership that will prioritize coordinated programs and strengthen the capacity of Congolese institutions to implement projects. The goal is to produce more rapid, visible, and sustainable results over the next decade.
Key points
- The World Bank is seeking to support DR Congo in addressing its development challenges, including high poverty and limited access to essential services.
- The new Country Partnership Framework aims to focus on job creation, poverty reduction, and economic inclusion.
- The World Bank and the Congolese government are exploring ways to diversify the economy, improve access to electricity, and develop human capital.
