Congo has a population of 110 million people, the second biggest in Africa (Image: Getty)
Infrastructure in the Congo has always been very difficult, with very few roads in good condition to transport its 110 million residents across the country.
There are a total of around 40 national roads in the country. However, many are unpaved, and some are impassable due to disrepair or are still under construction.
The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin, which holds some of the largest rainforests in the world, is what causes barriers to road and rail construction in the country.
The National Road No.1 (RN1) is one of the main highways in the DRC. It runs from the western seaport of Banana, going through the country’s capital, Kinshasa and other cities, Kananga, Mbuji-Mayi, and Lubumbashi, before ending at Kasumbalesa.
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The road also contains Matadi Bridge, the country’s largest bridge which spans over the Congo River.
Developments are taking place to improve Congo’s roads, including a £5bn road-building project with China. Two Chinese firms, Sinohydro and China Railway Group have started building three major roads in the DRC under a contract with state-owned mining firm Gecamines.
The new deal comes after disputes over an agreement made in 2008, which was that Chinese firms would invest £2.2 million in roads, railways, schools, and hospitals for a 68pc stake in a Chinese-DRC joint venture.
The firms have started a £230 million project to build a 39-mile ring road in the capital and there are plans to pave and improve more roads in the country.
The country will see a £246 million investment in road infrastructure every year from 2024 to 2040.
Mulengwa Zihindura, president of the Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, said: “I think this could be a good thing for the country if it is materialised.”
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Many of the roads in Congo are unpaved or under construction (Image: Getty)
However, he added: “The DRC need proper contracts, proper people, well-trained to be able to build these roads, whether they get a loan or exchange some of the country’s recourses with somebody.
“But let it be done properly with the appropriate people. But everything the Chinese have built in Congo, including my home town of Bukavu, has been disastrous, and these roads do not follow the proper structures of how the roads are supposed to be built.
“I hope the government can first try to resolve the issue of the war that’s devastating the people otherwise this is going to be very difficult. Any infrastructure project undertaken going from the east to the west is unattainable”.