Page 44 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 14

Economy
Energy in Afrika

INFRASTRUCTURE:

AFRIKA’S PRIMARY NEED

CASE STUDY OF EASTERN CONGO
By PD Lawton, UK.

Interview with Dr David Muhindo South Kivu which is in the east, Kinshasa with the eastern regions.
Biryage near the borders of Rwanda and It is not possible to travel from
Burundi. The distance between the Bukavu to Kinshasa by road or rail.
he Democratic Repub- 2 cities of Kinshasa and Bukavu is It is not possible to travel by road
lic of Congo is roughly 2,494km which is slightly less than or rail from Goma, the provincial
2.5 million km2. That is the distance between London and capital of North Kivu to Bukavu,
Tslightly greater than the Moscow. the provincial capital of South Kivu.
combined land surfaces of Spain, Nor is it possible to travel south
Germany, France, Sweden and Congo is ranked among the 3 worst from Goma or Bukavu to Bunia, the
Norway. The DR Congo is Africa`s cases of national infrastructure defi- provincial capital of Ituri.
second largest country. The largest cits in the world. The other 2 cases
being Algeria. being Yemen and the Central Afri- A road is defined by its composi-
The capital of DR Congo is Kin- can Republic which is considered tion which is tarmac. People in the
shasa which is located in the west, to have the highest level of extreme eastern Congo travel on `tracks`
on the border with the neighbouring poverty globally. which turn to mud and become im-
Republic of Congo or Congo Braz- passable. The only other means of
zaville , as it is sometimes called. It is not possible to traverse the DR transport is by air which is unafford-
Bukavu is the provincial capital of Congo by road or railway. There able for 99% of the population.
is no infrastructure connecting

44 | we tell the true afrikan story ISSUE 12 | MAY/JUNE 2021