Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences: Home

Article Title:
Evaluation of the Realities for Effective Economic Growth Driven Entrepreneurial Activities: The Case of the DRC
by David Mukuna Kashala and Dr. Larry. E. Jowah

Abstract:
Africa is the third largest continent and houses 66% of the world?s natural resources that remain unexploited. Where these are exploited, they are never meant for the benefit of the poor populous, and at best feed the former colonisers of the continent through the permission of the African political leadership. At the same time the continent remains the poorest and least developed with political strife tearing the continent into patches of revolutions seemingly increasing with every passing year. The blame is put on the colonial past and precious little is said about the disastrous leaderships that have become the ?legal culprits? retarding the growth of the continent. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is no exception to this. More than half a century has passed by and the mineral rich country remains backward, poor, full of corruption and seemingly stagnant. Experiences from the Asian Tigers have shown how countries can move from being backward to developed countries through poverty eradication by promoting entrepreneurship. Economic growth and development of any country is inevitably associated with the level of education and skills in the country complemented by entrepreneurship. It is therefore accepted that the panacea for chronic poverty in the country is entrepreneurship. This study is focusing on the DRC in the current state trying to solve the problem of war caused by poverty, and trying to eradicate the poverty in a war situation. The findings indicate that the government, though aware of the need for effective entrepreneurship policies as a panacea for eradicating chronic poverty, has no formidable principles in place.The conclusion is that it would take a radical and deliberate situation-relevant-entrepreneurial model to revolutionise industrial and economic development and growth given the current status quo in the DRC. The country should promulgate policies on beneficiation to help boost employment and increase domestic wealth.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, political instability, economic models, economic growth, economic development

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