Congo entre deux

Recently,   China's investments, especially the model "Mining for Infrastructure" contracts  in  Afric a  have been under scrutiny in Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where their efficiency is called into question. Do African  resource- rich  countries  really benefit from th ese contracts ? From Angola, where it was first implemented in Africa (the Angola model), to Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Guinea, this model has often been criticized not only by donors but also by civil society  for the various risks it imposes on recipient countries: debt burden, environment endangerment, lack of transparency, and corruption.   Unfortunately, the “Predatory China” narrative dominates and shapes the framework under which Chinese investments, big or small, are scrutinized. A dangerous and simplistic narrative that tends to oversimplify not only the international context but also the motivations that drive both African countries and China to engage in these

Depuis le mois dernier, l'environnement minier de la RDC est en ébullition avec la commission de révision mise en place par le cabinet de Felix Tshisekedi pour revoir le contrat de Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM). Annoncée en mai 2021 lors de sa visite dans la province du Katanga, je n'ai pas cru que cette révision se ferait en raison de l'incertitude qu'un processus aussi complexe pourrait engendrer.   Avec le comité de révision en place, il est temps de repenser la situation et de voir ce qui peut sortir de ce processus.    Disons-le d'emblée : en l'état actuel des choses, il est presque impossible de savoir avec certitude comment la situation va évoluer. La complexité de l'environnement politique interne congolais (qui façonne les motivations et les actions des acteurs politiques) et l'implication des acteurs internationaux (gouvernements et lobbies) ne nous permettent pas de faire des prédictions solides.     Au lieu de considérer cet article comme une

Since last month,  the DRC’s mining environment has been buzzing with the revision committee put in place by president Tshisekedi’s cabinet to revisit the Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) contract. Announced in May 2021 during his visit in the Katanga Province, I for one didn’t believe that revision will go through due to the uncertainty that such a complex process could lead to.  With the revision committee in place, it’s time to rethink the situation and see what may come out of this process.    Let say it from the get-go: as it stands, it’s almost impossible to know with certainty how this situation will unfold. The complexity of the internal Congolese political environment (which shapes the motivations and actions of political actors) and the involvement of international actors (governments and lobbies) do not allow us to make any solid predictions.     Instead of seeing this piece as an attempt to predict the future, let's rather take it as a prospective thinking exercise about wh