Kinshasa

Congo COUNTRY

11,855,000 CITY POPULATION

Provincial Assembly GOVERNMENT TYPE

Introduction

Kinshasa, formerly (until 1966) Léopoldville, largest city and capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It lies about 320 miles (515 km) from the Atlantic on the south bank of the Congo. one among the most important cities of Sub-Saharan Africa, it's a special unit like a Congolese region, with its own governor. The city’s inhabitants are popularly referred to as Kinois.

Kinshasa isn't only the capital but also the centre of the dynamic and contradictory influences that have shaped the country’s character in modern Africa. The sole city not clearly identified with any particular region of the country, it had been until 1997 the seat of a long-lasting Zairean military government based, on the one hand, on the strength of the soldiers and, on the opposite, on a way of political and social compromise that until its later years gained the rather grudging collaboration of most of the citizens. Caught between spectacular wealth and large poverty, most Kinois must spend a substantial amount of their time scrambling for necessities that are in erratic supply. Nevertheless, they have found the means to form Kinshasa a source of distinctive influence in intellectual and popular culture felt throughout Africa.

Data and Facts

The most heavily inhabited area of Kinshasa covers 58 square miles (about 150 square km). The total area subject to city government, much of it sparsely populated, is 3,848 square miles (9,965 square km). Pop. (2005 est.) 5,717,000.

Kinshasa’s urbanized acreage measures 225 square miles (583 square kilometres).

Kinshasa is additionally a province, with administrative boundaries covering a huge 3,848 square miles (9,965 square kilometres) the overwhelming majority (90%) of which is taken into account rural terrain. Nevertheless, an estimated 21.3 people live within Kinshasa’s total city plus surrounding urbanized areas.

At the country level, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s acreage covers 875,312 square miles (2,267,048 square kilometres). The national population count was 81.3 million inhabitants as of July 2016.

Population density is slightly lower within the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s capital with a mean 51,500 people per area unit (19,900 per square kilometre).

Urban density increases to a mean 55,200 residents per area unit (21,300 per square kilometre) once you think about urbanized locations outside Kinshasa city proper.

For the Democratic Republic of Congo overall, population density drops drastically to a mean 93 inhabitants per area unit (36 per square kilometre).

The Democratic Republic of Congo gained its independence from Belgium on June 30, 1960. Residents celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each June 30.

Administration

Since 1982 the urban administration has consisted of a governor and two vice-governors, appointed by the president. They head the town council, consisting of the 24 zone commissioners appointed, also by the president, from among the councillors elected in each zone.

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission within the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known by its French acronym MONUSCO makes its headquarters in Kinshasa. In 2016 the UN placed more peacekeepers on active duty in Kinshasa in response to the recent unrest against Kabila. Critics, including recently the US ambassador to the UN, have accused the peacekeeping of supporting a corrupt government.

Economy

There are many other industries, like Trust acquirer, located within the heart of the town. Food processing may be a major industry, and construction and other service industries also play a big role within the economy. Although home to only 13% of the DRC's population, Kinshasa accounts for 85% of the Congolese economy as measured by gross domestic product. The People's Republic of China has been heavily involved within the Congo since the 1970s, once they financed the development of the Palais du Peuple and backed the government against rebels within the Shaba war.

In 2007–2008 China and Congo signed an agreement for an $8.5 billion loan for infrastructure development. Chinese entrepreneurs are gaining an increasing share of local marketplaces in Kinshasa, displacing within the process formerly successful Congolese, West African, Indian, and Lebanese merchants. Kinshasa is the most vital consumer centre of the republic and therefore the core of its industrial and business activity. The town is the headquarters of major public corporations and of privately owned industrial and commercial companies.

It dominates the financial and commercial life of the republic and houses the top offices of the principal banks. Among Kinshasa’s main industries are food processing and people producing commodities, generally for domestic markets. Construction and various service industries also contribute to the city’s economy. Other foodstuffs come from more distant regions of Congo or are imported.

The stress of this vast urban population has caused extensive erosion within the surrounding countryside because the soil is exhausted from over-cultivation and trees cut for charcoal haven't been replanted.

Business Environment

Kinshasa is the DRC’s most populous city and its political and economic capital. Kinshasa is home to both the seat of state and therefore the headquarters of the overwhelming majority of agencies and institutions. it's a vibrant economic hub; most foreign companies operating within the DRC maintain a presence in Kinshasa; Congolese businesses tend to possess their corporate headquarters within the city. Kinshasa is the third-largest city on the African continent, with an estimated population of over 5.5 million inhabitants within the city and 10 million in its urban agglomeration. Kongo Central borders Kinshasa province’s western flank; to the south, Kongo Central shares a border with Angola and to the North, with the Republic of Congo. Kongo Central is the only province within the DRC with direct access to the ocean. Matadi, approximately 170 miles (273km) southeast of Kinshasa, is the capital and largest city within the province and is home to the sole seaport within the country. A meter gauge portage railway that recently underwent substantial overhaul also as a paved two-lane road connects Kinshasa and Matadi. Though the Congo flows between Kinshasa and Matadi, the stretch connecting the two is unnavigable.

Infrastructure

Economic problems and a shortage of exchange have caused severe infrastructure deterioration, and there has been a continuing need for spare parts and replacement vehicles. Kinshasa is well served by roads, but it's dense and rapidly increasing population causes much congestion. The town is connected by a paved road to Matadi, Congo’s principal port, at the top of navigation on the Congo estuary, and by another to Kikwit, to the east. The railway line from Matadi, bypassing the rapids on the river below Kinshasa, brings in most of the country’s imports, a number of which are then conveyed upriver. The Congo is navigable to Kisangani, some 1,000 miles (1,600 km) upstream, and a huge network of navigable stretches on its tributaries, connected by railways, brings most inland traffic carrying exports destined for Matadi down the Congo and thru the port of Kinshasa. Ndjili International Airport, to the southeast, is one among Africa’s largest airports. A busy ferry connects Kinshasa to Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, across Malebo Pool. Within Kinshasa, public transportation consists of grossly overcrowded buses, minibuses, taxis, and fula-fula (trucks adapted to hold passengers).

Transport

The Boulevard du 30 Juin provides an artery to the business district in Gombe, Kinshasa. The Boulevard du 30 Juin links the main areas of the central district of the city. The public bus company for Kinshasa, created in 2003, is Transco. Several companies operate registered taxis and taxi-buses, identifiable by their yellow colour.

Air

Several international airlines serve Ndjili Airport including Kenya Airways, South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Air France and Turkish Airlines. A small number of airlines provide domestic service from Kinshasa, for example, Congo Airways and flyCAA. Both offer scheduled flights from Kinshasa to a limited number of cities inside DR Congo.

The Matadi–Kinshasa Railway connects Kinshasa with Matadi, Congo's Atlantic port. The monthly tonnage of exported goods reached only 1,000 tonnes in the month of March 2018. In January some 284 tonnes of goods were exported from the ports of Boma and Matadi, via the railway, and 711 tonnes in February, then 1,058 tonnes in March, 684 tonnes in April, 818 tonnes in May and 853 tonnes in June. The line connecting the port of Matadi to Kinshasa is 366 km long.

On June 30, 2018, the SCTP received two locomotives and 50 wagons from the African firm ARSS. In 2017, some 2.2 million tonnes of cement were produced by the two new start-up companies, PPC Barnet and Kongo Cement Factory. The SCTP did indeed transport part of this production to Kinshasa but the exact quantity was not communicated by the railway department of the company, the former DG Kimbembe Mazunga had communicated an agreed protocol of agreements with the cement manufacturers of Kongo-Central for the transport of their productions.

External transport

There are no rail links from Kinshasa further inland, and road connections to much of the rest of the country are few and in poor condition.

Technology

Connecting the health care system

With a mission to enhance management of the healthcare system, quality of care, and accessibility of services, ANICiiS is the country’s first dedicated digital health agency. The new agency will oversee and accelerate the utilization of the latest technologies, including telemedicine, connectivity for the health data system, and biomedical equipment. Ilunga, who made digitalization of the health care sector one among the pillars of his vision for the country. The agency builds upon the work of organizations already applying digital technologies to enhance health services within the country, like WHO, the worldwide Fund, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Gavi, PATH, Institute of medicine Antwerp, the University of California.

Ousmane Ly to the DRC Ministry of Health as a digital health advisor where he has provided insight and expertise from Mali and lots of other countries during which he has worked.

Connecting with tomorrow

As a replacement agency, the ANICiiS is looking toward the longer term, not only in terms of technology to deal with health system challenges but also in inspiring the country’s next generation of technology experts and innovators. To celebrate the launch of the new agency, the Ministry brought quite 50 students together for an Ebola-focused hackathon as a way to deal with the present, continuing outbreak, and therefore the largest ever within the DRC. These students were asked to think of new ways in which technology could support the Ebola response. By embracing digital technology and innovation, the ANICiiS is ensuring a brighter future for the DRC.

Social Wellness and Human Resources

Kinshasa’s School of Catholic Theology is internationally distinguished. Since the Second Congo War, the town has been striving to get over disorder, with many youth gangs hailing from Kinshasa's slums. The State Department in 2010 informed travellers that Kinshasa and other major Congolese cities are generally safe for daytime travel, but to watch out for robbers, especially in traffic jams and in areas near hotels and stores. Some sources say that Kinshasa is extremely dangerous, with one source giving a homicide rate of 112 per 100,000 people per annum.

By some accounts, crime in Kinshasa isn't so rampant, thanks to relatively good relations among residents and maybe to the severity with which even petty crime is punished. While the military and National Police operate their own jails in Kinshasa, the most detention facility under the jurisdiction of the local courts is the Kinshasa Penitentiary and Re-education Centre in Melaka. The Congolese military intelligence organization, Détection Militaire des Activités Anti-Patrie operates the Ouagadougou prison in Kintambo commune with notorious cruelty. Street children often orphaned, are subject to abuse by the police and military.

Of the estimated 20,000 children living on Kinshasa's streets, almost 1 / 4 are beggars, some are street vendors and a few third have some employment. Street children are mainly boys, but the share of women is increasing.