The Democratic Republic of Congo has the potential to be an economic powerhouse and a force for peace and stability at the heart of the continent. Progress towards sustainable development and poverty reduction will bring enormous benefits to millions of poor people in the Congo, its neighbours and the wider world. Helping turn this fascinating country in that direction is a core goal of DFID DRC's country programme.
What do you think about when you think about research? Do you think of stereotypes – such as academics looking like Einstein in the picture below with the blackboard? Dusty theses sitting on library shelves? Or do you think about the …
It's moth season in Kinshasa. Every month here seems to bring different insects. Sometimes it's giant flying beetles. Other times it's swarms of brown paper-like flies. Just now there are moths everywhere - moths as big as my two hands; tiny moths; you …
I'm sitting on a covered patio at the Embassy, watching a Congolese storm brew. The weather didn’t let up all weekend, and it's hard not to see it as a metaphor for the turbulence that has followed the release of …
"I thought results were due out today?" my dad asked on Tuesday. "What's going on?" It's true that the announcement of the results of the DRC elections were originally slated for the 6th December. But the huge challenge of getting …
Locked inside a classroom at 9pm, watching the count of presidential votes by the light of camping lanterns, I couldn't have been further from my day job. As I reported in my last blog, I spent Monday 28th November 2011 …
"Can you call someone?" I kept being asked, "We want to be able to vote." I set off at 4:45 this morning - bleary-eyed but as tightly wound with excitement and anticipation as the city of Kinshasa has been throughout …
Every time I drive around Kinshasa at the moment I see a new fabric banner singing the praises of one of thousands of Congolese politicians. There's a palpable sense of excitement in the air as pick-up trucks pass me by …
Eating poulet à la moambe – one of Congo's famous dishes – at the weekend, it occurred to me that I tend to spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about and enjoying food. So I really welcome the chance …
I'm back in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and on Sunday morning I took a little time out to visit the gorillas in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. I wrote about these gorillas in a recent blog. In fact, I …
Well, also to get to the other side. The challenges of building roads that spring to mind tend to be things like the topography of the area in which you’re trying to build, the density of the population, and the …
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