Natural Resources: A boon or curse for the DR Congo?
Mr. Mvemba Phezo Dizolele will examine the causes and reasons that sustain the gap between natural resources and poverty in one of the world’s richest countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo. The D.R. Congo holds some the world’s largest deposits of copper, diamond, cobalt, manganese, coltan, tungsten, tin and uranium, is home to the Congo River - the world’s second most powerful river after the Amazon, and continues to garner international attention because of its vast rainforest.
He will discuss that despite these rich, natural resources and potential, the D.R. Congo is known as a geological scandal and is ranked among the poorest countries as it has been plagued by failed leadership, bad governance, and conflict for the past two decades. Mr. Dizolele is a writer, foreign policy analyst, and independent journalist, in addition to being a professorial lecturer in African Studies at John Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and a senior associate in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a member of the DRC Affinity Group. He has testified before several subcommittees of the two chambers of the United States Congress and the United Nations Security Council.
Thank you to Engage Now Africa and Junior League of Salt Lake City for their support of this lecture.
