DRC Can Overcome Fragility to become Africa’s Leading Climate Solutions Country

Nov 16, 2023 | Ana Bucher, Sandra El Saghir, and Ruzandra Burdescu
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The Democratic Republic of Congo is a true climate “solutions” country with its enormous reserves of green minerals, pristine forests, and a large hydro power capacity. But several building blocks will be necessary to support this vision, such as continued political commitment, well-aligned multi-level governance, clear institutional frameworks, robust laws, policies, and strategies, well-managed oversight and financing, and robust data management, as the new DRC Country Climate Development Report (CCDR) finds.

Implementing DRC’s climate solutions vision and its associated adaptation strategies requires considerable financing. The initial public investments needed to partially offset climate change risks are estimated at around $10.9 billion by 2050. Given DRC’s limited financial capacities, engaging the private sector and identifying other sources of finance is crucial.

By supporting higher-quality infrastructure and greater diversification, economic development, in and of itself, is a powerful form of adaptation. Overcoming fragility and pursuing an economy-wide, resilient development path that will benefit its people, the region, and the world is entirely possible for Africa’s giant.