Factors Leading To Unpaid Pensions in Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second poorest country on earth regardless of the material wealth beneath its surface. As per the statistics done, this country has minerals worthy of $24 trillion below, but it’s has done no good to them. The poverty level is still the same since most of the population in Congo lives on less than one dollar a day.

It is one of the least urbanized countries in the world. With this kind of poverty, they can’t manage to keep the forums in their nation running smoothly. Below are the factors leading to several protests because of unpaid pensions.

Diseases Outbreak

From time to time, Congo faces a lot of disease outbreak, and it pushes the country deep to the poverty state. Diseases like malaria, cholera, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, measles, and polio are common in the Republic of Congo. Furthermore, around 1.2 percent of Congo people infected with HIV/AIDS.

Many of Congo Citizens lose their lives due to these diseases. The government forced to take care of the situations, and at the end of the day, it goes broke. As a result, many of the citizens do not get pensions, leaving them no choice but to protest.

Massive Hunger

Malnourishment is a common issue in the country. As per the Food Security Portal, almost 70 percent of Congolese have no money to get adequate food for their families. Due to this, most of the children are likely to suffer from malnourishment. The government ends up spending a lot to looking after the starving children and end up failing to meet the pension budget. As a result, people lose their patience and go on strike.

Political Instability

It has been long since the Democratic Republic of Congo started suffering from political instability. The country’s instability leads to war and increased poverty among citizens. As we know, war is not good at all since it destroys everything, including employment opportunities. Consequently, youths are unemployed and left to fight over the mining raw mineral ores.

The instability in DRC kills over 10,000 citizens in a month, with corruption being a core reason. Militia groups fund their associations with funds they sell after mining the Gold. Most foreign companies choose to invest in these groups, and that makes the country lose over $1 billion in tax revenue.

The loss of government revenue alters the budget and ends up spending more fighting the militia group, and as a result, it ends up not paying pensions.

Water Shortages

We all know that water is life. DRC is facing severe water shortages. Warring parties have fueled the country to poor infrastructure, leaving many without clean water. Due to this, the authorities spend a lot of money buying safe drinking water for their citizens. High expenditure destroys the government budget. The money supposed to pay pensions is used for other arising issues, fuelling the protests.

Conclusion

Protests are not one of the best ways to solve poverty-related issues. The Congolese striking on delayed paying of their pensions should sit down with the authorities and come up with a solution to their problems. Running up and down won’t help. It will add commotion to the country only to drag it deep into the poverty state.

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