By Sibusiso Bengu
Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), bears witness to a rich music history. With 10 million inhabitants, it is a city of great cultural diversity and considered as the cradle of Congolese rumba, a popular genre of dance music shaped by many international influences. Road and rail infrastructure is dilapidated and the rail network has fallen into disuse. According to the World Bank, the infrastructure investment needed in the Kinshasa is among the highest in Africa. Since the coming of new administration in the province of Kinshasa, much of the population growth has been the result of Congolese migration and government expansion, but widening of the city’s boundaries has caused some of the increase. Kinshasa has a young population. More than half the people are under 22 years of age, and only a tiny proportion of the population is over 50.
In the infrastructure sector, the provincial minister of Public Works Thierry Kabuya Tshitenga who studied Law at Universite Protestante au Congo, has inaugurated multiple projects including building roads, rehabilitating others, building bridges and pushing for laws that set criminal offenses for those who act negatively in the environment. The DRC is one of the most infrastructural challenged countries in the world. Ground transportation has always been difficult and the country’s vast geography, low population density, extensive forests, and criss-crossing rivers further complicate the development of infrastructure networks. Among Kinshasa’s main industries are food processing and those producing consumer goods (e.g., beer, textiles, and footwear), generally for domestic markets. Construction and various service industries also contribute to the city’s economy.
The provincial minister of Public Works Thierry Kabuya Tshitenga focus his work in specific areas of infrastructure which include transportation systems, communication networks, sewage, water, and school systems. Investments in infrastructure tend to be costly and capital-intensive, but vital to a region’s economic development and prosperity. The strategy of the minister is to count on two main types of infrastructure investments, these include social infrastructure, which includes schools, affordable housing and hospitals, and economic infrastructure, which includes roads, communication, sewage, water, airports and power. Kinshasa is located 320 miles (515 km) inland from the Atlantic Ocean just south of the equator. The city is surrounded by intensely farmed savanna and gallery forest. Partly encircled by higher ground, the city is fairly level, with an altitude between 918 and 1148 feet (280 and 350 meters). The metro area population of Kinshasa in 2022 was 15,628,000, a 4.4% increase from 2021. The metro area population of Kinshasa in 2021 was 14,970,000, a 4.38% increase from 2020.
The 35th governor of the city – Kinshasa province, Gentiny Ngobila Mbaka, has quantified its five-year program at 2 billion 64 million 87 thousand 598,50 US dollars. It is articulated around five priorities, namely: improving governance and restoring security; the protection of the environment and the sanitation of the city; modernization of basic infrastructure; the development of economic activities and the creation of jobs; and improving the quality of basic social services. In that order, the provincial minister of Public Works Thierry Kabuya Tshitenga works on addressing both infrastructure and environmental issues. These plans are in line with AMAGEP policy on environment. At some extent, this shows how the latest push by AMAGEP in Kinshasa has made local government to adjust and work on real issues. The impact of such environmental engagement is a great achievement by AMAGEP who plays an active role within civil society.
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