High Hopes for DR Congo: Is Change Coming?

Congo, A Visible  State

Some critics read hopelessness in the current situation of unrest and war in eastern Congo. A few of them, including Pham, Herbst and Mills [1] advocate for the partition of Congo to ensure better management of this "Invisible" state, claiming "there is no Congo" or that Congo is a " failed state. Congolese from all walks of life have already fiercely responded to this yet another display of total ignorance of the reality of our dear nation [2]. Adding to these Congolese and friends voices expressing outrage over the negation of their birth or adoption country-the Democratic Republic of Congo-, the advice of former US Under Secretary of States for Africa, Johnnie Carson, came unexpected. He cautioned  those critics not to write off Congo just yet. Carson is right and Congolese as a people, as a nation and land hold firmly in the hearts that their country is here to stay and is going nowhere. They will fight all those cheerleaders predicting evil of Congo, the invisible powers plotting those plans for their greedy interests and profits, their agents in DRC neighboring countries as well as the militias inside Congo creating havoc to justify the masters plans. Against all odds, DRC is here to stay and its people throughout the world are more the ever motivated to defend their motherland.

Strengthen and Improve National Cohesion

What creates the cohesion -despite the lack of infrastructures- of this subcontinent in Central Africa and has proven all those critics wrong in their predictions of Congo future will be left to historians, anthropologists and other human sciences scholars. For now, we must not only enjoy the fact that all Congolese from Goma to Boma, Kikwit to Kindu or Lisala to Likasi  are strongly attached and cheerful of the unity of their country. We must continue to work tirelessly to maintain and improve this cohesion of our nation. Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Kisangani and other major cities must continue to be those melting pots where our people converge for higher education, work, family visits, tourism  and other cultural exchanges between our communities. Efforts to build a strong and comprehensive national military must be sped up to protect the boundaries of our country through land, water and air against the enemies of the nation and their allies. In addition, infrastructures must be built in a speedy fashion in order to connect different provinces of the country and encourage our people to trade, interact and mingle.
Speaking about infrastructures, it is encouraging to see roads being constructed, rivers and lakes being dredged, rails and airports being renovated and also radar systems being installed in different airports to monitor the air space of Congo. These efforts must be accelerated and financing means that do not incur more debts for the nation need to be pursued. The 2009 agreement with China, although perfectible, is a good model for infrastructure development.

Pursue active cooperation with China

DRC has immense needs that will not be met by a single partner. Smart diplomacy and cooperation must be pursued with all peace loving and well intentioned nations, with measurable outcomes in the advancement of our nation. While all these developed nations beginning with US are borrowing from China, it is unacceptable to prohibit DRC from signing financial agreements with China. Recent cooperation has brought about some significant developments for the country. In addition to roads and other construction infrastructures, it is worth mentioning two recent developments.
In November 2012, a little commented upon but very important agreement [3] was signed between DRC and China for the launch within three years of a communication satellite CongoSat-01. The accord also includes training of DRC engineers to run the project after launch. The significance of such a strategic project is high in allowing primarily for the surveillance of the national territory. Coupled with a strong military, the nation will be better equipped to face predators and other cross border terrorists.
More recently and against strong protests from the IMF and the World Bank, DRC concluded a partnership with China to provide the nation of DRC with high speed internet connection infrastructure. After several setbacks, the high speed internet terminal was inaugurated on July 2013 [4] by the President. Besides the anticipated and expected millions of dollars in revenues for the nation if properly managed, the optic fiber is another tool to connect, link different corners of the country through communication and must be sustained for the unification of the territory.

Hope and Change on the way

Prophets of the disparition of DRC as a nation in its current configuration will come and go. Congo is here to stay and become a powerful nation in the heart of Africa through hard work, discipline and good governance. While international financial notations are what they are, Congolese have welcomed the recent three B ratings by Moody[5] and its forecast of stable outlook  for the land of Kimbangu and Lumumba.


[1] http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/03/17/there_is_no_congo

[2] http://www.congovision.com/nouvelles2/dr_pashi4.html

[3] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20398914

[4] http://radiookapi.net/en-bref/2013/07/08/rdc-lancement-de-la-fibre-optique-au-bas-congo/

[5] https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-assigns-B3-ratings-to-the-Democratic-Republic-of-the--PR_281558