Potholes, Tyres and Entrepreneurs in the DRC

A recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) provided a stark reminder of the developmental challenges facing much of the African continent. This central African state covers a vast geographical expanse and is home to some 63 million people. The country also boasts one of the richest natural resource endowments in the world, with substantial reserves of copper, cobalt, cadmium, diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coltan, bauxite, iron ore and coal. Despite this wealth of natural resources, the extent of the country’s socio-economic challenges became clear from spending just two days in the nation’s capital, Kinshasa. In many senses, the country can be viewed as a failed state. The Eastern part of the DRC is still engulfed in conflict, while the comparatively ‘safe’ regions surrounding Kinshasa are plagued by underdevelopment. To add insult to injury, the level of rentseeking in the country is palpable.

The extent of the underdevelopment in and around Kinshasa becomes clear shortly after leaving Kinshasa’s international airport. Following a brief, but unsettling, confrontation with an immigration ‘official’ who queried the validity of my yellow fever vaccination certificate (a query later settled when I paid a cool US$ 20 at the insistence of the recalcitrant official), I was transported in the Grand Hotel Kinshasa’s mini-van to my hotel located in the leafy business district of the capital city. The 45 minute drive to the hotel was an eye-opener. Access to the airport is only available via one road with multiple, unmarked lanes; the inbound and outbound lanes separated at the mid-point. The road is in a dire state of disrepair. Huge potholes, littered as vast chasms at various points in the road, ensure that a smooth passage via car is close to impossible. The effect of the poor state of the road is immediately visible. I lost count of the number of cars pulled to the side of the road accompanied by drivers changing flat tyres (presumably caused by one of the plethora of intruding potholes) with an air of resignation.

Despite this, resourceful, if somewhat quixotic, entrepreneurs have seized on these deficiencies in the road infrastructure to provide a much needed commodity: replacement tyres. At various points along the roadside, stalls of tyres of divergent sizes and designs can be found. On the face of it, the supply of tyres would seem to be a lucrative endeavour given the number of blowouts I observed. This one example demonstrates that even in the harshest of economic environments, entrepreneurs have found a way to capitalise on the realities of their environment and provide a much needed service. These entrepreneurs have had the foresight to meet a market need flowing directly from the infrastructure deficiencies (that are characteristic of many African states) and ensure that those operating vehicles in Kinshasa are still able to get from A to B and go about their daily travels.

If I ever return to Kinshasa, I would love to return to see an upgraded road network to welcome me into the city from the airport (according to my taxi driver, plans to resurface and upgrade the road have been mooted). Somehow, I feel those selling tyres by the roadside would disagree.

Neil Balchin
Senior Researcher and Consultant
Mthente Research and Consulting Services