Minister of State for Planning and Commerce Badimany Bilembu has reported a drop of over 60 percent in annual export revenues due to the war. “Most products intended for export are concentrated in rebel-held areas,” state television reported Bilembu as saying. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has predicted for 1999 and 2000 that the government will continue to struggle to raise the foreign exchange revenue it desperately needs to pay for imports. The shortage of foreign exchange would cause recurrent fuel shortages to continue, contributing to the steady depreciation of the Congolese franc and feeding inflationary pressures, since most goods are imported, the EIU added.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
Share this article