Economic Development (OCR GCSE Geography B)

Democratic Republic of Congo - History of Economic Development

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

• DRC is a low-income developing country

• The capital of the DRC is Kinshasa

• Borders 9 countries

• Located in Central Africa on the equator

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• Although not landlocked the DRC's coastline is small 

• The DRC has the characteristics of a LIDC

 DRC Fact File 

• In terms of natural resources, the DRC is one of the richest countries in the world 

• Yet over 60 million people are estimated to live on less than US$2 a day

• In 2009 the Congolese government gained US$155 million in revenue, but the IMF estimated their exports were worth US$4.2 billion

Before independence

• The area that is now the DRC suffered significant enslavement of the population between 1500-1850

  • It is estimated that in this region 15,000 people every year were enslaved in the region and sent to the plantations in Brazil and the Caribbean

• Belgian colonisation of the region began in 1885 with the establishment of the Congo Free State

• The region became fully under the control of Belgium in 1908 

After independence

• The DRC achieved independence in June 1960

• Unrest and conflict followed over the next 50 years

Influences on DRC's development

Political

• There have been many incidences of civil and political unrest including the Congo crisis, the First Congo War and the Second Congo War

• Between 1965 and 1997 the President of DRC was Mobutu Sese Seko 

  • He allowed armed forces to loot the resources of the country 

  • He also took bribes from large foreign companies, allowing them access to take natural resources

• In 2018 the first undisputed election occurred

Social

• In the eastern DRC there have been approximately 6 million deaths since 1996 due to conflicts 

• Population growth has led to food shortages 

Physical

• The narrow coastline restricts trade

• Low-lying areas are covered with rainforest, which restricts the development of agriculture and transportation 

• A large country - goods have to be transported over thousands of kilometres

• Long dry season makes crop growth difficult

• Frequent flooding during the wet season, leads to the destruction of crops

Economic

• Many natural resources, such as copper, zinc and oil

• Agriculture accounts for:

  • Over 42% of the Gross Domestic Product

  • The employment of 62% of men and 84% of women

Rostow's Model and the DRC

The Rostow model of development

• The Rostow model of development shows the stages which a country will pass through as it develops

• It is a straight-line graph and was based on the typical development of ACs

• The model describes how a country’s economy changes from relying most on primary industry (e.g. agriculture), through secondary industry (e.g. manufacturing goods) to tertiary and quaternary industry (e.g. services and research)

• Stage 1 (the traditional society) is the lowest level of development and stage 5 (high mass consumption) is the highest level

Rostow's model of development

The DRC and Rostow's model of development

• Despite the DRC's large primary industry, the country has improved its education and healthcare through investments from TNCs

• As a result, DRC is at stage 2

• Many of the factors outlined above have hindered its movement into stage 3

Millennium Development Goals and the DRC

Millennium Development Goals 

• The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight targets which the UN member states committed to achieving by 2015

• Signed in September 2000, 198 countries committed to the goals

• Progress towards the goals has varied widely between countries

The Millennium Development Goals

DRC and the Millennium Development Goals

• The progress of the DRC towards the MDGs has been mixed

• None of the MDG have been met 

• The DRC ranks 176th of 187 in the UN Development Index

Progress of DRC Towards the Millennium Development Goals