Government reforms are supporting the sustainability and growth of the Copperbelt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the country as a whole, according to the African Development Bank.In its 2020 analysis of DRC prospects, the bank says “thanks to good coordination in monetary and budget policies, the inf lation rate, which reached 29.3% in 2018, fell to 4.5% in 2019.“The economy remains dependent on mining products, which makes it vulnerable to global price f luctuations.“Forecasts suggest a slowdown in GDP growth in 2020 (3.9%) and 2021 (3.4%) due to reduced mining production,” it adds. The country remains dependent on the Congo Copperbelt, which is about 300 km long and 30 km wide, and is in southwestern DRC. It is one of the richest metal-producing areas in the world, but totally reliant on ports in neighbouring countries and thousands of kilometres of logistics supply chains.Lubumbashi, the main city in the DRC Copperbelt, is 1 609 km from Beira, 1 896 km from Lobito, 1 829 km from Dar es Salaam, 2 435 km from Walvis Bay, and 2 680 km from Durban.Moving goods in and out is costly and requires experienced operators.According to the African Bank report, infrastructure shortages continue to dampen economic development significantly.DRC was ranked 184 of 190 countries in the World Bank’s 2019 Doing Business report.
