When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Countries

Killing the Dollar Softly In The Democratic Republic of Congo

Top Congolese leaders say it's time the DRC got off the US currency and returned to the local franc. But ending "dollarization" comes with risks if not done properly.

Congo's Central Bank President Jean-Claude Masangu Mulongo
Congo's Central Bank President Jean-Claude Masangu Mulongo
Raoul Biletshi

KINSHASA - The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of several countries, both in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world, that uses the U.S. dollar as its de facto national currency. But is it time to put an end to "dollarization"?

The DRC government now says it wants to phase out the dollar, to be replaced with local Congolese francs in all financial transactions. Prompted by a four-month spurt of economic growth, the government is convinced that it is time to begin a reform, which it assures will be meticulously overseen by the monetary authority.

Still, in order to reassure citizens, banking officials and investors, the move is not going to happen overnight.

A meeting last year, led by Deputy Prime Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba, which included representatives from the top Congolese employers and banking associations, was billed as “Solutions to de-dollarize the Congolese economy.”

“To this day, despite the significant fall of inflation and a certain stability of the exchange rate, the dollarization level in the Congolese economy remains very high,” noted Mukoko Samba, who also serves as Budget Minister.

Most of the banking deposits in DRC are in foreign currencies, while bank credits are as high as 95%.

“How did we end up here?” asked Congo's Central Bank President Jean-Claude Masangu Mulongo in front of trade representatives from Belgium, Luxembourg and DRC meeting in late November in Kinshasa to discuss the subject.

Masangu Mulongo recalled a bit of recent history to provide some context. The 1980s and 1990s were a time when the ex-Zaire was struck by a severe economic crisis that included basic infrastructure collapse, looting of production tools, excessive external debt, the end of international cooperation and depreciation of the national currency compared to foreign funds. By 1994, inflation had reached the extreme rate of 9,769%.

The roads are long

Given both the political and economic instability, financial operators and the general population turned to the American dollar to protect their purchasing power and to benefit from discretion in commercial transactions. This situation led to the dollarization which is, in Daniel Mukoko’s terms, “induced by the use of a safe haven currency different from the national currency in economic transactions.”

But this process is ultimately detrimental to the country. It may lead to, among other things, “difficulties when it comes to finance the economy with national currency; a higher risk of a crisis in the banking sector in case of physical currency shortage,” explains Masangu Mulongo.

The central banker says those past conditions have changed, and the macroeconomic signals are looking good: an economic growth of 7.2% in 2012, with a 8.2% projection for 2013; an inflation rate of about 3%; a stable Congolese franc compared to the U.S. dollar; a peak in the financial sector confirmed by a larger number of banks and micro-financing institutions with an expansion of the credit and deposit volume.

The so-called "de-dollarization" process requires a balance between controlling the negative effects of giving up the U.S. currency, and beginning to push the regular use of the national currency.

To set the example, the 2012 budget was voted by the Parliament in Congolese francs. The Central Bank even recommends that the public sector settle the payment of any tax or outstanding charge in national currency. It even sent a letter to the financial operators urging them to display the prices in Congolese currency.

“De-dollarization cannot be imposed by law, it cannot be forced,” specifies the central bank governor. "It’s a seven to 10-year process minimum for those who manage to carry it out. It can only be achieved in a progressive, participative manner with a series of incentives.”

As far as the exchange regulations go, Masangu Mulongo added that everyone “will be free to use the currency he likes, it’s out of question to force people to convert their Foreign Currency Resident accounts (FCR) or Non-Foreign Currency Resident accounts (NFCR) into national currency.”

Economics Professor Grégoire Bakandeja believes that the currency reform can succeed only if it's carried out nationwide, and if exports continue to be handled in foreign currencies. “De-dollarization is a good thing, but exchange measures must be taken and resources exported in such a way that it remains profitable for the state.”

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

How Vulnerable Are The Russians In Crimea?

Ukraine has stepped up attacks on the occupied Crimean peninsula, and Russia is doing all within its power to deny how vulnerable it has become.

Photograph of the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters with smoke rising above it after a Ukrainian missile strike.

September 22, 2023, Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia: Smoke rises over the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters after a Ukrainian missile strike.

TASS/ZUMA
Kyrylo Danylchenko

This article was updated Sept. 26, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.

Russian authorities are making a concerted effort to downplay and even deny the recent missile strikes in Russia-occupied Crimea.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

Media coverage in Russia of these events has been intentionally subdued, with top military spokesperson Igor Konashenkov offering no response to an attack on Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, or the alleged downing last week of Russian Su-24 aircraft by Ukrainian Air Defense.

The response from this and other strikes on the Crimean peninsula and surrounding waters of the Black Sea has alternated between complete silence and propagating falsehoods. One notable example of the latter was the claim that the Russian headquarters building of the Black Sea fleet that was hit Friday was empty and that the multiple explosions were mere routine training exercises.

Ukraine claimed on Monday that the attack killed Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. "After the strike on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, 34 officers died, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Another 105 occupiers were wounded. The headquarters building cannot be restored," the Ukrainian special forces said via Telegram.

But Sokolov was seen on state television on Tuesday, just one day after Ukraine claimed he'd been killed. The Russian Defense Ministry released footage of the admiral partaking in a video conference with top admirals and chiefs, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, though there was no verification of the date of the event.

Moscow has been similarly obtuse following other reports of missiles strikes this month on Crimea. Russian authorities have declared that all missiles have been intercepted by a submarine and a structure called "VDK Minsk", which itself was severely damaged following a Ukrainian airstrike on Sept. 13. The Russians likewise dismissed reports of a fire at the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, attributing it to a mundane explosion caused by swamp gas.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refrained from commenting on the military situation in Crimea and elsewhere, continuing to repeat that everything is “proceeding as planned.”

Why is Crimea such a touchy topic? And why is it proving to be so hard to defend?

Keep reading...Show less

The latest