Resources and power
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The country’s main economic resource is its mineral deposits; mining produces almost nine-tenths of total exports. The abundance of minerals in Katanga province was among those factors that attracted European powers to Congo in the 19th century.
Minerals found in Katanga include copper, cobalt, zinc, cassiterite (the chief source of metallic tin), manganese, coal, silver, cadmium, germanium (a brittle element used as a semiconductor), gold, palladium (a metallic element used as a catalyst and in alloys), uranium, and platinum. The region west of Lake Kivu contains cassiterite, columbite-tantalite (coltan, a rare ore used in electronic products, such as mobile phones and computers), wolframite (a source of tungsten), beryl, gold, and monazite (a phosphate of the cerium metals and thorium). Lake Kivu also harbors vast reserves of methane, carbonic, and nitrogen natural gases. There are deposits of iron ore and gem-quality diamonds in south-central Congo, while the central regions are rich in industrial diamonds. In the northeast there are gold, coal, and iron-ore deposits; there are prospective deposits of gold, monazite, and diamonds in the northwestern regions as well. Coastal Congo contains bauxite, gold, and offshore deposits of petroleum. The limestone deposits that occur throughout the country are considered to be among the richest in Africa.
Congo’s forest reserves cover more than half of the country and are among the largest in Africa. Wild game supplements the local diet and is an important item in local commerce. Rivers, lakes, swamps, and ocean contain vast reserves of fish.
The country has significant hydroelectric resources from the many rapids along the rivers of the Congo system. Thermal energy can be derived from the forests and coal and petroleum deposits.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing accounts for a small proportion of the Congolese GDP. The sector has been hampered by a variety of factors, including difficulty obtaining machinery and spare parts and an unreliable electricity supply. Manufacturing industries can be classified into two main categories. Consumption industries produce processed foods, beverages, cigarettes, cloth, printed material, hosiery, shoes and leather, metallic fabrics, and such chemical products as soap, paints, rubber, and plastics. Supply and equipment industries include spinning and weaving plants, chemical factories, and facilities to produce machinery, transport materials, nonmetallic minerals, and wood products. A petroleum refinery, opened in 1968, operates near Moanda.
The heaviest concentration of hydroelectric consumption is in the mining areas and in Kinshasa. A hydroelectric dam was completed in 1972 on the lower Congo River at Inga Falls. After completion of the second stage of the dam in 1982, its hydroelectric capacity had grown; in the 2020s, almost all of the power generated in Congo was hydroelectric. In spite of the dam’s massive potential, however, much of the population is without reliable access to electricity. The majority of Congolese depend on firewood as a source of domestic fuel. Neighboring Republic of the Congo has been linked to the country’s power grid since the 1950s.
Finance and trade
The national central bank, the Bank of Congo, is located in Kinshasa, as are numerous commercial, savings, and development banks. There are also mortgage and credit banking institutions. Totally foreign-owned banks include U.S., British, and French institutions as well as the International Bank for Africa in Congo. The penetration of the banking system in Congo is extremely low, however, and only a fraction of Congolese citizens maintain bank accounts; the majority of transactions within the dominant informal sector are settled in cash. In 1998 the Congolese franc replaced the new zaire as the country’s official currency, but the new tender was seriously devalued by the country’s years of civil conflict. New notes were introduced in 2003.
For much of the first decade of the 21st century, Congo faced an increasingly negative balance of trade. Mineral products constitute most of the country’s total exports: diamonds, which account for almost one-half of trade revenue, are the country’s most valuable export; crude petroleum, cobalt, and copper are also significant. Coffee is the country’s most important agricultural export product. Exported manufactures are of limited value and volume. Imports consist primarily of foodstuffs, consumer goods, machinery (largely mining and transport equipment), and fuel. Although Belgium traditionally has been a primary trade partner, Congo has developed significant trade relationships with South Africa, China, and other countries. In 2022, Congo joined the East African Community, a regional trade and development bloc.
Transportation and telecommunications
The organization of the transportation network is of crucial importance to Congo, a country of continental dimensions, rich economic resources, and limited maritime access. Congo’s generally poor transportation infrastructure is a major factor in its economic underdevelopment, a situation exacerbated by years of civil conflict. The Congo River and its tributaries, historically a chief means of transportation in the country, serve as the main transport arteries. These rivers are supplemented by rail, road, and both private and public air services.
Navigation is possible throughout the year on stretches of the Congo River, which is navigable from Banana to Matadi, Kinshasa to Kisangani, Obundu to Kindu, and Kongolo to Bukama. Those portions of the Congo, as well as the navigable stretches of its tributaries, together constitute some 9,300 miles (15,000 km) of navigable inland waterways. The main port for maritime shipping is Matadi, situated near the mouth of the Congo River.
The agricultural region of Mayumbe is served by the Boma-Tshela railway. Other lines connect the Uele with the Itimbiri River and Lake Tanganyika with the Lualaba River. Railways also serve the southern regions.
There are four major routes that combine water and rail transport. The only such route to lie wholly within Congo runs by rail from Katanga to Ilebo, by boat on the Kasai and Congo rivers to Kinshasa, and by rail to Matadi. International routes run across Lake Tanganyika and Tanzania to the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam; through Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to Beira, also on the Indian Ocean; and through Angola to the Atlantic Ocean port of Lobito. The Angolan route and the system to Beira were unusable for years because of civil conflict in Angola and Mozambique. The heavy traffic that normally would have followed these routes was sent via Zimbabwe to ports in South Africa.
With only a limited number of connections in operation, fixed-line telephone service in Congo is generally inadequate. As a result, cellular telephone use has been expanding rapidly, more than tripling in the first decade of the 21st century to reach a penetration of some 10 cellular phones per 100 persons. Internet use also has been expanding, albeit at a slower pace.
