In this session we will discuss why the resource-rich countries often have lower development achievements compared to countries not endowed with important geo-resources. We will unpack the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and explain why many theorists see it as a resource curse.
We will also look into the challenges of maladministration, mismanagement of cash and problems of governance in the DRC.
Issues to be discussed include the effects of corruption, endemic political crisis and the predatory economic system. The discussions will focus on the coltan and cobalt minerals and why they are strategic today.
We will also look at how illicit exploitation of coltan was instrumental in fuelling conflict in the eastern DRC and why the case of cobalt is slightly different.
Could cobalt exploitation be a key contributor to state power and used to contain conflict in the eastern DRC? We will try to answer this question and to understand what national, international laws and transparency initiatives exist and why are they not effective in solving the problems once and for all.
