Expectations and disillusionment with climate financing in the Democratic Republic of Congo

A new report released today by Ebuteli and the Congo Research Group (GEC) reveals a stark disparity between the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) potential role in combating climate change and the actual climate finance it receives.

The report, titled “Attentes et désillusion de financements climatiques en  République démocratique du Congo””, highlights the DRC’s wealth of strategic natural resources, including its vast forests and transition minerals critical for green technologies. Despite the country’s potential to be a key player in the fight against climate change, the study reveals a concerning paradox: although the DRC is encouraged to leverage its natural assets for climate action, it receives a disproportionately small amount of climate finance in return. Furthermore, some donor countries oppose the exploitation of its forest and hydrocarbon resources to finance its own development, a stance that has fueled accusations of an international plot against the Congolese state.

The unmet expectations around climate financing stem from several factors: donor countries prioritize mitigation over adaptation, which disproportionately benefits industrialized nations; the complexity of the international financial architecture makes fund mobilization difficult; and incoherence in national policies reduces the appeal of such financing. This underfunding threatens the DRC’s ability to sustain initiatives aimed at preserving its forests and peatlands.

As a country highly vulnerable to climate change, the DRC urgently needs substantial resources to address the needs of its most vulnerable populations, who are increasingly impacted by the adverse effects of climate change.

“Climate finance can only grow and produce the desired outcomes when the interests of states, the international community, the private sector, and national and local communities are aligned. This is the challenge that the Congolese state and its partners must address,” says Albert-Jolino Malukisa, Director of the Governance pillar at Ebuteli.

To increase climate financing, the DRC must implement good governance, create a favorable business climate, ensure socio-economic and political stability, establish a transparent regulatory framework, and demonstrate the capacity to enact policies and fight corruption.

Read the full report here