🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

The DRC is Africa's second-largest country by area and potentially its richest by natural resources — yet its 100 million people are among the world's poorest, with per capita income around $580. GDP is about $65 billion. The country holds an estimated $24 trillion in untapped mineral wealth, including 70% of the world's cobalt (essential for EV batteries), significant copper, coltan, diamonds, and gold. Eastern Congo has been in near-continuous conflict for 25 years, with dozens of armed groups operating in the region. Kinshasa, with 17 million people, is the largest Francophone city in the world — larger than Paris.

Mining accounts for about 80% of exports, with cobalt and copper dominating. China is the largest buyer and investor in the mining sector. The informal economy is massive — perhaps 80% of economic activity goes unrecorded. Agriculture employs 60% of the population but the country still imports food. The Congolese franc has been relatively stable recently, but inflation runs around 10-15%. The Inga Dam on the Congo River, if fully developed, could generate 40,000 MW — enough to power half of Africa.

The Congo River is the world's deepest river (over 220 meters) and the second-longest in Africa. The DRC's Virunga National Park is home to about a third of the world's remaining mountain gorillas. The country has more than 200 ethnic groups speaking over 200 languages — it's one of the most linguistically diverse places on earth.

The DRC is the ultimate resource curse case study. The cobalt boom should be transformative, but without governance reform and peace in the east, the wealth will continue flowing out while poverty persists.