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HARNESSING AGRICULTURAL POTENTIAL : ADDRESSING FOOD SECURITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE DRC AMIDST GLOBAL CHALLENGES

By  Mostafa Sleem updated on June 19, 2024

Addressing food security remains a global challenge, with significant disparities evident across various regions and income groups. Nearly 282 million people face acute food insecurity, according to the World Bank, an increase from previous years due to various global disruptions such as conflicts, economic shocks, and climate-related disasters. 

Ongoing conflicts, particularly in Ukraine, have disrupted food supply chains, exacerbating global food insecurity. Approximately 70% of the world’s hungry populations live in conflict-affected areas. Climate shocks, such as extreme weather events, continue to undermine agricultural production, leading to lower yields and increased hunger. High inflation reduced fiscal support, and rising food and fertilizer prices further aggravate food insecurity, according to the World Bank and World Food Program. 

In Africa, similar challenges have hampered the development of the agriculture sector. Persistent conflicts disrupt agricultural activities and displace populations, making it difficult to maintain stable food production. The war in eastern DRC has displaced more than 7 million people since the aggression started, impacting the socio-economic development of the region. Although Africa has had the lowest carbon   in the world, Climate change has also impacted the continent, with recent droughts making it harder to sustain crops and reducing agricultural productivity. Limited access to finance and high input costs hinders farmers’ ability to invest in better farming practices, mitigating climate risks, and exploring sustainable solutions. 

 


As global conflicts intensify, unveiling The Spectre of a Third World War, and food distribution persists, agriculture presents an opportunity to mitigate the DRC’s food security risks, become more independent in food production, and expand its market to reach and support  its population and neighboring countries. It is projected that 956 million people could face severe food insecurity by 2028 around the world, with an estimated $90 billion USD required annually to provide basic social and safety nets globally. 

In the DRC, an estimated 3.3 million children under 5 will suffer from acute malnutrition. With these alarming figures, the DRC has vast agricultural potential to change its future. Despite a minimum wage of $120 per month, the population struggles to put food on the table. However, the Agriculture sector has been pivotal to the country’s GDP, employing around 70% of the population and contributing 20% to the GDP. 

On June 18, 2024, the Minister of Spatial Planning, Guy Loanda, unveiled the highlights of the country’s agricultural opportunities, setting the stage for sustainable economic revitalization and improved resource management. Mr. Guy Loando Mboyo, the Minister of Land Management, underscored the critical importance of the study in developing the National Land Use Plan (SNAT). This comprehensive plan will establish strategic directions for sector reform, aimed at achieving national prosperity and enhancing citizen well-being. The study includes detailed maps and analyses for key perennial crops such as coffee, cocoa, palm, and rubber, as well as staple crops like cassava, rice, and maize, providing a clear roadmap for future agricultural development. 

According to ANAPI, the DRC presents multiple opportunities in the agriculture sector, backed by reforms and strategic initiatives aimed at transforming and boosting agricultural productivity. Under President Felix Tshisekedi, the DRC has emphasized the importance of transforming the agricultural sector to diversify the economy, which has been dominantly reliant on mining. The government has unveiled a comprehensive agricultural strategy for 2024-2030, focusing on increasing productivity, improving infrastructure, and enhancing governance within the sector.  

Over the past few years, reforms and new policies have been introduced to create a favourable business environment for investors and reduce bureaucratic red tape. Efforts have also been made to improve legal and regulatory frameworks to protect investor interests and ensure transparency and accountability in the agricultural sector. However, these measures have often remained merely ink on paper, as continued harassment from tax collectors has made several businesses shut down and rethink their presence in the DRC. 

ANAPI has been spearheading conversations through targeted missions on attracting Foreign Direct Investment into the country to boost agricultural activities, but the political will continues to lag. At the 2023 Agribusiness Forum, the government announced a $6.6 billion investment plan to harness agricultural potential and reduce dependency on food imports. Over the next 10 years, under the Agriculture Transformation Program (PTA), it aims to fulfill its commitment to becoming Africa’s breadbasket. 

“We are laying the first stones of a global framework favorable to the development of the agricultural sector which we know is necessary,” said José Mpanda, Minister of Agriculture. 

Farmers, investors, government officials, and other stakeholders must come together to discuss the future of agriculture in the DRC and explore ways to improve the sector. 

“With its 80 million hectares of cultivable land, its four million hectares of irrigable land, its varied climate allowing year-round agriculture, its 7 to 8% of the world’s exploitable freshwater, and its approximately 125 million hectares of grazing land, sufficient for 40 million head of livestock, coupled with the size of its population, especially young and female, DR Congo incontestably has the means to be the breadbasket of Africa, the epicenter of the continent’s agricultural industry, and an incubator of prosperity,” said Solomane Koné, Deputy Director General of the African Development Bank for Central Africa and Country Manager for the DRC. 



However, since 2023, there has been no follow-up from the Minister of Agriculture. This could be due to poor communication or the inability of relevant stakeholders to collaborate and implement effective changes. Political instability, corruption, and administrative inefficiencies have historically hindered effective implementation and reforms, deterring potential investors. It is critical to have the political will to turn these reforms into actions and ensure they are implemented by all stakeholders. The reforms also must align with the national interest. 

Financing has also been a key issue in developing the sector. The DRC has recently welcomed an African player with a presence across several countries in Africa. Joining the EAC, Equity BCDC identified the DRC as a young country that needs African efforts to build the country for the 100 million people. Under its Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Bank is here to bring finances to different sectors to develop and pivot the economy away from solely mining. 

On June 25, 2024, Equity BCDC signed a memorandum of understanding with Congo Motors to promote economic and social development in the agricultural sector of the DRC. This partnership aims to enhance the agricultural ecosystem by providing small farmers, both individuals and cooperatives, access to mechanization, and to enhance food security and economic prosperity in the DRC. Equity will finance 80% of the cost of tractors and equipment, allowing the sector to have a proper launch. According to Celestin Mukeba, Managing Director of Equity BCDC, “At Equity BCDC, we firmly believe that collaboration and innovation are essential to addressing challenges and maximizing opportunities in this strategic sector.” 

Another collaboration from the private sector came in the form of tackling malnutrition in the DRC. In 2016, it was estimated that 5.9 million people would be acutely food insecure. AJ Group has presented a project initiative to mitigate hunger and achieve food security through a food supplement with high nutritional value produced and manufactured in the DRC. What is interesting about this initiative is that AJ Group is looking to promote the sector to produce corn and soybeans to rely on the local market only. This is a great initiative as it allows farmers to view agribusiness as a potential market. 

That is why policymakers should think further down the line, not only about production but also about having a value chain supported by industrialization. Investments in processing facilities can help reduce post-harvest losses and improve market access for farmers. 

As the country sets a new vision starting in 2024, and a new mandate is set under President Felix Tshisekedi, policymakers, and the DRC government must work together to lay the foundation for local and international investors to create an enabling environment that attracts both local and international investment. 

The recent actions taken is a step towards the right direction, showcasing the impact of policy making, collaboration and innovation in promoting economic and social development. Only through our collective efforts can the DRC harness its potential, ensuring food security, and a nurtured future for its citizens. The DRC has a unique opportunity to be a driving force for national and regional prosperity. 

Africa, the cradle of humanity, a land that stirs the soul with its mystic allure. My soul chose to be born in a land where golden savannahs stretch far and wide. A land where one can witness the plains come alive with the rhythmic footsteps of herds embarking on their breath-taking migration in a timeless display of resilience and unity. A country that holds beauty, that enchants the senses and ignites wonder.

My land, my motherland Kenya. Born into a Kenyan family of Asian descent, a family that has lived and breathed Kenya and Africa for previous 5 generations, I can only identify as a Kenyan, a proud 6th generation African. Brought up in a family where ‘Being Human’ was the main principal belief. We have been raised with values that don’t differ greatly from those of the thousands of tribes that make up Africa – roots, heritage, family, faith, morals, principles and more.

Many years ago, I stood on stage at a speech writing contest in High School, where I described the strategy behind Muhamad Ali’s glorious win where he “floated like a butterfly, and stung like a bee” against George Foreman, in the fight forever known as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle.’ Years later, never even in my wildest imagination, did I imagine I would be living in the very ‘jungle’ itself, and working in the world of strategic storytelling and encouraging the amplification of Congolese voices and narratives far and wide across the globe from the heart of Africa.

Congo or as it was then called Zaire, a land that was stamped in the memory of the World as the place where Ali fought Foreman and caused a mighty Rumble in the boxing world. A battle that was immortalised in the song ‘In Zaire’ sung by Johnny Wakelin. Congo was a land everyone wanted to know about.

A land that is endowed with all the riches known to mankind. A blessed land, with a rich cultural heritage and a teeming, deserving population. A land sadly destroyed by its colonial past. Which, since its independence, is slowly trying to attain its rightful place in the World. It is here that I arrived five years back.

As I look back on my first five years of living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there have been moments of floating and very often, little stings. I moved to Kinshasa for love. In the beginning, I can honestly admit, it was not love for the city or the country or the people – I didn’t know enough about this 

ginormous country and the 100+ million people that fill its borders – it was personal love. But five years later, I never thought I could love a country and its people as though they were mine. That love comes from the heart that feels the mystic rhythm of the African land, and I couldn’t be prouder to call it home.

You can never shake the ancient dust of Africa off your boots – no matter how far and wide you travel.

Having lived in London for thirteen years followed by a few years in the Middle East, returning to Africa was natural. 

The love for Africa always remains in the soul. Living in the heart and soul of Central Africa, has been an adventure.

The narratives that have filled Western Media have sung a different song for many years, call it geo-politics, strategic positioning, economic control, all things aside, the story of the Congo has never really been told loudly by the Congolese themselves. From the outside looking in, the perceptions are dotted and plagued with negativity, but on the ground, the beating hearts of the Congolese are rumbling a little louder day by day towards progress, and it’s in these slivers of hope, that the true stories are revealed.

The stories that spotlight the young entrepreneur battling to build a viable business, young students carving out their careers currently into untapped and underdeveloped industries, the non-existent middle class that should build the private sector and contribute to its growth and the country’s economy, international investors building projects that create jobs and wealth for the locals as much as it does for the financial interest in the Congo. We can’t talk about changing the narrative of a country when we don’t discuss the positive changes that education, infrastructure developments, economic policies, universal health care, food self sufficiency etc can contribute towards developing Congo.

In Africa, a transformative era is on the horizon as the continent sets its sights on change and development like never before, and country examples like Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, and Kenya are a testament to these positive changes. A combined drive by the Africans to build an Africa by Africans for a future developed Africa. A daunting task as a fellow African who first arrived in Kinshasa for a two-week trip which quickly extended from month to month and snowballed into creating a business in the field of strategic advisory and communications. It was created around the simple premise – the African narrative needs to be written by the Africans, and the Congolese needed a platform for their voices to be heard as far and wide across the globe.

At the heart of Africa, the center of its soul, the Congolese beats are picking up. Business is quietly picking up, post the first peaceful democratic elections. As the incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi embarks on his second mandate, the world waits with bated breath for the promised change and greater development, the impact of which can be felt across the entire population. Whether its infrastructure, governance reform, education, better health, access to basic needs – there are plenty of conversations to be had. Storytelling, an essential part of Congolese culture, an oral tradition that is filled with narratives, stories, and songs, need to be told from the perceptions and opinions of the Congolese.

In the past, and especially in 2023 the power and bias of the international media came to the forefront.

Geopolitics and powerful Media Houses controlled and amplified the narrative that in their perception was important. It’s only natural to question the visibility of certain global issues over another. This raises the question about the impact of our voices when catastrophes and issues affecting an African country are narrated differently. Whether it’s election, unrest or other catastrophes affecting an African country, sometimes the western media does not consider it newsworthy because they do not have an in-depth understanding and information of the issues and disasters that affects this Continent.

There are a lot of positive changes happening as well, and these news worthy developments need to be made a part of the Global narrative. Positive or negative these conversations need to be had openly and who better than the Africans to be at the forefront of this narrative. The true voices of the Congolese need to be heard from their heart and soul and from their perspective. That’s when the true picture of the reality of their lives, struggles and aspirations emerges.

There is a need for a platform where the Congolese voices and the African voices can be heard, where views can be freely given not as a negative but as a positive approach to help bring the DRC to take its rightful place, not just in Africa but also in the World. Is it not our experiences from around the world when put together with like minded individuals – where greatness begins? Where stories and narratives become the basis for legacies.

DRConversations is the platform created as a gift for all the voices that need to be heard, for all the emotions that need to be expressed and to bring forth the dreams and aspirations of a nation on the cusp of development. Join this journey by sharing openly your knowledge and experience to make DRC a happy, positive and progressive Nation.

It’s time for another rumble in the jungle – Welcome to the conversations from the Congo.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             KS