DRC's Special Economic Zone: Questions abound

Last Friday, Congolese president Joseph Kabila announced that the government was planning to create a “special economic zone”. The objective; To add value to the country’s vast mineral resources and to persuade manufacturers of electric car batteries and smartphones to set up shop there.

But the Democratic Republic of Congo lacks even the basic infrastructure to set up a special economic zone, let alone the right policy environment to pull off one. The political instability that has dogged the country for ages would also discourage those willing to invest.

In this week’s business segment, Jean David Mihamle analyses the questions abound for Kinshasa’s special economic zone.