DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050

The document describes governance in the DR Congo as being dominated by rent-seeking elites and systemic corruption, particularly within the extractive industries. It highlights the failure of decentralisation efforts, where the central government in Kinshasa maintains control by withholding funds from provinces. Despite recent commitments from the presidency to combat corruption through the creation of the Agence de prévention et de lutte contre la corruption (APLC), the report notes that the country remains an 'anocracy' with a significant gap between nominal electoral practices and substantive liberal democracy.

• Governance in the DR Congo is defined by rent-seeking political, military, and economic elites who prioritise ethnic and regional allegiances over sustainable development, using a system of political patronage known as prebendalism to allocate administrative positions.
• Decentralisation efforts have been hindered by political calculations and a lack of capacity. Between 2007 and 2013, the central government in Kinshasa transferred only 6%–7% of taxes to provinces, despite a constitutional requirement of 40%.
• Corruption is endemic across all sectors, with the extractive industries, tax and customs administrations, and state-run enterprises being most affected. Gécamines, the largest state-run mining company, is identified as a primary facilitator in diverting mining revenue away from the government budget.
• The DR Congo is characterised as an 'anocracy' or unstable hybrid regime. According to the Center for Systemic Peace's 2018 data, it scored -3 on a scale of -10 to +10, which is significantly more authoritarian than the low-income country average of 1.36.
• While the current president has established the Agence de prévention et de lutte contre la corruption (APLC) and ordered high-level arrests, such as that of Vital Kamerhe, some observers view these actions as politically motivated rather than a genuine move toward the rule of law.

APA

Yeboua, K. (2023). DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=03-governance

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi. DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=03-governance.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |title=DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050 |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=15 May 2023 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=03-governance |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2023development, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi}, title = {{DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=03-governance}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }