| Despite the nation's vast potential wealth in
natural resources, Congo's economy has declined dramatically since the
1970s. Chronic government deficits, mismanagement, widespread corruption,
rapid inflation and decreased mineral production have made the country
one of the poorest in the world. Civil war continues to destabilize the
currency. Indigenous bank notes have lost almost all value, and most currency
transactions are conducted in American dollars. A barter economy now flourishes,
and most people survive by subsistence farming and small-scale trading.
Until the 1990s, mining supplied three-quarters
of Congo's export earnings. Other exports included industrial diamonds,
crude oil, cobalt, cadmium, gold, manganese, silver, tin and zinc. Industries
included mineral processing, cement, textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed
foods and beverages. Modern mining operations and many industries collapsed
in the 1990s, however, due to mismanagement, civil war and the withdrawal
of foreign aid. |
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| Today, agriculture, forestry and fishing employ
60% of the working population. Cash crops include coffee, cocoa, cotton,
tea and quinine. Cassava, bananas, peanuts, root crops and corn are raised
for local consumption. Products gathered from the rain forest or plantations
include palm oil, rubber and timber. Most village families farm a small
plot of land, raising almost all their own food. Few can afford farm machinery,
so most use hand tools. As a result, farm production is low, and most farm
families are poor. Some rural inhabitants also hunt or catch fish. |
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Did you know? |
| Women
in Congo have the right to join the armed forces, which has had a female
battalion since 1976. |
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| Since independence in 1960, large numbers of Congolese
have migrated to the cities, hoping to find jobs in business, industry
and government. The resulting rapid growth of cities has led to high unemployment
and crowded living conditions. Those who do find work often earn low wages
and find it almost impossible to support themselves and their families.
There are many chegues, or street children, in the cities.
Workers in the informal sector (that is, people
without a regular paid job) work as tailors, shoe repairers, construction
workers, taxi and bus drivers, craft workers and small-scale shopkeepers.
In urban centres, many women have adapted to the informal economy by exploiting
opportunities in retail and semi-wholesale trade. They usually conduct
business outside men's legal control, without bank accounts or accounting
records. |
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