'DRC needs to develop democratically' to help unlock its vast potential says UK FCO

With 80 million hectares of arable land, over $24tn (£16.8tn, €22.16tn) in untapped mineral resources, five sites considered to be of outstanding universal value by Unesco and vast hydropower potential, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a country of stark contrasts. In this final instalment of a two-part interview, IBTimes UK spoke to Danae Dholakia, the UK's Special Envoy to Africa's Great Lakes region on how to help unlock the country's potential.

"DRC needs to develop democratically, it needs to have a rule of law, it needs to have good governance," she said. "It needs to essentially take on various technologies that can help it to progress and advance."

She added that the UK's inclusive growth programme aims to help lift people out of poverty through economic growth and development and initiatives that play to the country's strength, such as hydropower projects.

"Unlocking that energy potential could unlock so much more. [If] you have sustainable energy in DRC, then suddenly you have potential for the tech industry to go, for all sorts of other industries to grow," Dholakia said. "You don't have to rely purely on the mineral wealth, there are all sorts of diverse industries which could flourish in the DRC if it has that unlocked potential from the core."

Click play to watch the final interview with Danae Dholakia. Follow this link to watch the first instalment focusing on the elections in the DRC.