FY22-FY26 - Country Partnership Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo - Executive Summary

Jul 19, 2026

The FY22–FY26 Country Partnership Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo outlines priorities for addressing persistent post-conflict instability, ongoing conflict and violence in the Great Lakes Region, and severe impacts on girls and women, including physical violence and SEA/H. It highlights high poverty and widening poverty levels driven by weak economic growth and rapid population growth, alongside fragile humanitarian conditions such as poor immunization coverage, large-scale displacement, food insecurity, and recent Ebola outbreaks. It also connects development constraints to weak governance and resource-related challenges, adds COVID-19 pressures on health systems, and reviews prior World Bank Group strategies to explain gaps and the need for renewed approaches.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

Executive Summary

Supporting a New Social Contract

FY22-26 COUNTRY PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION MULTILATERAL INVESTMENT GUARANTEE AGENCY COUNTRY PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO FOR THE PERIOD FY22-FY26 Country Management Unit, AECC2 Africa Eastern and Southern Region International Finance Corporation Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency 1. 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SUPPORTING A NEW SOCIAL CONTRACT The last of the Congo Wars officially ended in 2003, yet the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has not made significant advances in post-conflict stabilization over the past two decades. Conflict and violence continue, particularly in DRC’s part of the Great Lakes Region (GLR), where there were 5,515 conflict-related deaths in 2021. Girls and women are the most adversely affected—more than half of women and girls aged 15 and older have experienced physical violence and/or Sexual Exploitation Abuse/Harassment (SEA/H) . In parallel, DRC faces critical development challenges, as little progress has been made since the early 2000s. Poverty, measured at the international level of US$1.90 a day, remains high at 73 percent (2020). Moreover, the number of poor is growing, with 20 million more poor in 2020 than in 2003. Poverty reduction is hampered by high population growth—the population grew an average of three percent annually from 1961 to 2020—combined with weak economic growth, with a real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 1.6 percent over the same period. This resulted in a 60 percent decline in GDP per capita in 2020 compared to its 1960 level. Additionally, the humanitarian situation is precarious: half of all children have not received routine immunizations, over 5.2 million people are forcibly displaced, 27 million people are food insecure, and there have been four Ebola outbreaks in the past three years. 4 THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO | FY22-FY26 3. 4. 5. 6. These daunting challenges are compounded by weak governance that precludes the country from benefiting from its vast natural resources. An illustration of this natural resource“curse” is that while DRC holds half of the world’s cobalt reserves, the most critical component in car and phone batteries, its paved road system is 30 times smaller than the average level in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) . Furthermore, DRC hydropower resources are three times larger than the total installed capacity in SSA, but only one out of five Congolese has access to electricity. Similarly, 34 percent of households have access to basic water (19 percent in rural areas), despite DRC holding 52 percent of SSA’s freshwater resources. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic puts further stress on the health system and society at large. As of January 11, 2022, there were 80,175 confirmed cases and 1,225 fatalities—the majority of which have been in Kinshasa. The vaccine rollout has been hampered by vaccine hesitancy and access issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has added enduring socioeconomic impacts, led to a slight increase in poverty in 2020, and put stress on an already weak health system. The four World Bank Group (WBG) strategies for DRC adopted since 2001 (two transitional strategies (2001, 2004), a 2008 Country Assistance Strategy (CAS), and a FY13-16 CAS) have all identified persistent constraints to DRC’s sustainable development, e.g., conflict and violence, weak human capital, and pervasive corruption. It was only after the establishment of a new government in April 2021 that strategic development priorities were discussed. Furthermore, the four strategies have, to a large extent, proposed similar responses to these persistent development challenges, including investments in stabilization, human development, strengthening governa

FAQs

What overarching development problem does the framework focus on for the Democratic Republic of Congo?

It focuses on the persistent gap in post-conflict stabilization and development progress despite the end of the Congo Wars, emphasizing ongoing conflict/violence and weak development outcomes.

Which social groups are described as most adversely affected by conflict-related violence and protection risks?

Girls and women are highlighted as most adversely affected, with more than half of women and girls aged 15 and older reporting experiences of physical violence and/or SEA/H.

What major constraints to development are identified in relation to governance and natural resources?

Weak governance is described as preventing the country from benefiting from its vast natural resources, resulting in a “natural resource curse” and translating into limited infrastructure, electricity access, and basic water coverage.

Jul 19, 2026

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