DRC Congo: World Bank To Boost Agriculture Sector And Electricity Access

By staff Writer

World Bank has pledged a $100 million donation to boost Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) agriculture sector and another $100 million for micro-dams to promote rural electricity access and narrow power shortage, said Makhtar Diop on Sunday July 27.

 Diop, World Bank’s vice president for Africa made the announcement while addressing a press conference in Kinshasa accompanied by DRC’s Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo on his three days visit in the Africa’s largest copper producing country.

He visited the construction site for the Inga 3 dam, a massive hydropower project also fully funded by World Bank.

“It’s good for growth and good for climate change,” said Diop. “I think it’s a project that will transform Congo.

Washington-based lender Bank approved $73.1 million in March 2014 to finance environmental and social-impact studies for the project on the Congo River.

DRC and South Africa entered an agreement to develop the $12 billion dam project that would produce about 4,800 megawatts (MW) and supply electricity to both countries.

The World Bank says DRC's hydropower potential is estimated to be the world's third-largest behind China and Russia.

At the moment the nation can produce only about 450MW, half of what the mining companies demand in the nations copper belt in the province of Katanga.

 However, Berkeley, California-based International Rivers and other Advocacy organizations have criticized the project’s potential environmental and social impact.

DRC wants to start construction by October 2015.

Diop also visited an agro-industrial park 135 miles (220 kilometers) east of Kinshasa, pledging a separate grant of $76 million to combat sexual violence.

World Bank is the largest single donor institution to development in Africa, with massive projects across the continent. In 2013 alone, sub –Saharan Africa received $ 1.3 billion for climate related projects from the institution.