The DRC has more available farmland than any other country in Africa, with an agricultural potential to feed close to two billion people. DR Congo has and estimated 80 million hectares of available arable land with 10% of this land is currently being used. The agricultural sector contributes 18 percent of GDP and accounts for over 60 percent of new jobs.
Banking, assurances and microfinance sectors objectives are the creation of specialized financial institutions and operational efficiency of existing banks. The DRC’s banking system is comprised of the BCC and 18 commercial banks as well as savings/credit cooperatives, microfinance institutions, financial transfer services, and one development bank, SOFIDE. A postal checking system and several credit cooperatives exist and the Citibank-DRC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Citigroup, is the only U.S. bank in the DRC.
The DRC immense energy potential consists of non-renewable resources such as oil, natural gas and uranium, and renewable energy sources including hydroelectric, biomass, solar, wind, and geothermal power. The government’s vision is to increase the level of service up to 32% in 2030. The Congo River, which is the second largest river in the world with its basin astride the Equator provides an energy potential estimated at 100,000 MW spread across 780 sites in 145 territories and 76 000 villages. This potential represents approximately 37% of the African overall potential and about 6% of the global potential.
The Congo basin is estimated to include 530 million hectares of land and 200-300 million in forest/woodland with an area that is approximately 1,232,000 m2, more than 45% of the African equatorial forest and 6% of the world tropical reserves. Congolese forest contains more or less 1,000 species of trees. The uniqueness of the Congo is its 11,000 different species of plants often referred as medicinal along with rainforest vegetation that has most dense parts receiving only 1% of the sunlight reaching the ground. DRC investment projects is to plant 3 million hectares (ha) of forest up to 2025.
Unique to the DRC:
Lianas, which look a lot like vines that grow up to three thousand feet long (914 meters).
Teak trees are common in the rainforest of the Congo and grow up to 50 meters (154 feet) high.
The DRC immense energy potential consists of non-renewable resources such as oil, natural gas and uranium, and renewable energy sources including hydroelectric, biomass, solar, wind, and geothermal power. The government’s vision is to increase the level of service up to 32% in 2030. The Congo River, which is the second largest river in the world with its basin astride the Equator provides an energy potential estimated at 100,000 MW spread across 780 sites in 145 territories and 76 000 villages. This potential represents approximately 37% of the African overall potential and about 6% of the global potential.
Oil and gas discoveries in the east of the country give the DRC the second largest crude oil reserves in Central and Southern Africa. These reserves are primarily located in the four major lakes bordering Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. The DRC has proven reserves of 180 million barrels, though estimates of total petroleum reserves exceed 5 billion barrels. Currently, Congolese oil production is limited to the Coast Basin, yielding 25,000 barrels per day of offshore production, all of which are exported.
There are numerous infrastructure construction opportunities for American firms with most of the projects structured as public-private partnerships. In March 2016, Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works identified over $6 billion in transportation and utilities related infrastructure construction and rehabilitation projects over the next six years.
The Government objectives are to modernize railroad infrastructures and the airport equipments of safety and security in addition to maintaining, laying out and tagging the waterways in the country.
The sector attracted several subsidiaries of large multinationals to operate in the DRC. The success story indicates the presence in DRC of companies such as: TENKE FUNGURUME MINING (FREE PORT McROAN, KOLWEZI COPPER COMPANY (KINROSS-EGMF) KIBALI GOLD MINING Mutanda, ASHANTI GOLDFIELD KILO, Twangiza MINING.
Opportunities to invest are justified from countless transportation in the country and in different networks are immense, as the Government has made certain achievements. The prospects of developing a new public transport policy, particularly to attract private investment in sector of transport systems, improve the state of urban roads, strengthen the capacity in rolling stock and spare parts of public carriers with around 1,500 buses in 5 years, at a rate of 300 buses per year, and to extend the railway Kin-Matadi until Banana for the implementation of the deep-water port.
In the sector of tourism and travel, a myriad of opportunities exist in the rehabilitation and construction of hotels, restaurants and other tourism infrastructure. DRC’s unique tourist opportunities including wildlife reserves, indigenous cultures, and geological wonders establishes the DRC as a perfect country for those who seek to connect to nature and mankind. Twelve percent of the country is made up of protected areas including 7 national areas and 57reserves with great ecotourism potential. DRC offers a wide range of tourist attractions in different provinces ranging from the seaside to the safaris and cultural structures. DRC caters to the business as well as leisure.
The DRC has four endemic species including Mountain Gorillas, Okapi, Bonobos, and the Congolese peacock. Moreover, the country has a variety of species in its ecosystem covering almost 145 million hectares.