Economy

Congo has one of the highest rates of informal workers in the world with about 80 per cent of urban workers involved in the informal economy. Congo’s Trade Union Confederation estimates that nationally the informal economy represents more than 97 per cent of all workers while most of the population lives on $2 per day. A glimmer of hope for economic development has been emerging in Congo after years of conflict and exploitation. Economic reconstruction has the potential to propel a transition to peace and security, even in a country still stalked by violence and volatility. If a measure of peace and stability can take hold, entrepreneurship and foreign investment offer an opportunity to revitalize local and regional economies and to bring security and hope to the Congolese. Economic development is key to overcoming conflict, with jobs offering idle and impoverished young men an alternative to joining militias.