How to struggle against unemployment in Democratic Republic of Congo

Unemployment is a reality in the world The unemployment, especially of the youth is nowadays one of thorough challenges in the international community. It is yet hardly felled in most sub-Saharan countries which endure the development problem. Particularly in Democratic Republic of Congo, after the world socio-economical crisis of 2008 – 2009, unending wars in the eastern part of the country have contributed to the increasing of unemployment of people in the country, more in the North Kivu province. Among around 70 millions of Congolese citizens, up to 76% are unemployed. This last hurts us all, especially for young people, the situation is extremely bad. Indeed, work is important for people whether in the whole world, or in Democratic republic of Congo. For a start, money is very important in life. Unless we are unusually privileged, if we haven’t got a job then we haven’t got a decent standard of living. But work is usually important in many ways too. If you haven’t got a job, it is difficult for you to fit in socially with people who have jobs. Another importance placed on work, is probably because we haven’t got much self-respect and profit to external respect without working. Most unemployed are not respected; the respect to them is very less. The so great problem for unemployment is that new young generations grow up without hope for the evils of unemployment are cumulative (from a generation to another). And this is the case of most of young Congolese people among whom some hope to find their happiness in rebel’s armed groups. The world context shows that the evils of unemployment hurts, not only those who are actually unemployed, but all of people (among them, those who are working). So first, what are the main causes of unemployment in DRC? Then what are better ways of struggling (or busting) the evils of unemployment for a short and for a long time in our Congolese society ? These are the two questions which will constitute our main preoccupation in the framing of this work. As hypothesis, we hope in the development (promotion) of the entrepreneurship for all, strategy which is able to relieve income level of people in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Due to the dissertation character of our topic, we recourse first to some economical books in library, we used also data from Internet (Google research) and economist interviews. Ending, our work will be subdivided in three main chapters, except the introduction and conclusion. The first chapter will give a small dialogue made with a youth unemployed which will relate us a bit the woe of unemployed, the second treat the main causes of unemployment in our country, and the third speaks about how to struggle against unemployment. CHAPTER I. THE MISFORTUNE OF UNEMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES Interview 1 : Edward has applied for 20 jobs in six weeks without any luck of being retained. - Hello, please? - Hello. - How are you? - I’m fine, sir. - When did you finish your university cycle? - Around 10 months ago. - And just after obtaining your qualification, what did you do? - Nothing special. But only tempting to apply for some jobs applications in the town. - Which kind of jobs do you applied for, generally? - Well. As you know, I’m final manager laureate. Logically, I’m applying for applications of financial domain. But after applying for 20 jobs in six weeks, I didn’t have any luck to be retained. Some of those with whom we are applying together are retained, because they have some experiences required for these jobs. Divine my case! - Now, what do you think about your future in this bad situation? - Without any experience as required in applications, I’m really hopeless. The evil is that nothing can allow me getting experience without working anywhere. So, it’s a drama for me who is coming freshly from university. ******************************** Interview 2: Gift fear to lose his sentinel job because of being illiterate - Hi Mr Gift. - Hi man. Long time no see you. - Well, I’m strong although some small normal problems. So, I was very happy to be aware that you have given dowry at your fiancé’s. Where are you working nowadays? - Really, I’m jobless. But I’m loosing my time being sentinel somewhere in town. But again, whenever I can loose this small opportunity because I don’t know how to discuss with my boss in French as he is a white man. You know, I didn’t have the luck to be a literate at school. - Oh! Sorry for that. What do you think can protect yourself against this possible dismissal? - There is no solution for that. I do not know how to speak French, and it’s all. Reason why I think that, people who, like you, had this luck of being trained (toughed) in secondary school and university are very happy. Because problems like these can’t disturb them. - Be strong my friend, the dismissing won’t arrive. We have to pray God for that and He will listen to us. About other information, do you know that Ms Madeleine left her focus? - Is it true? What was the main cause of her bad decision? - I do not have details. So, I’m late to the Sunday PM, I’m sorry to leave you. Give my regards to all members of your family. ****************************************************** Interview 3 : Georges has become very serious in his job fearing to be dismissed - How are you Georges? - I’m fine my dear. Where are you going this evening time? - I’m going towards Mabanga pay a visit to an old friend. How are things with your job? - Ah! A lot of problems. As you know, my actual boss is very complicated. When we reach to the office, he wants first to be glorified by us. He speaks proudly; small mistake, he insults you. So we are not stable at job. - Oh! Sorry for that. Do you know the main origin of that? - I think only that it’s because people in DRC and in Goma particularly are many to ask for jobs. That’s why the boss disturb us knowing that he can find easily many other employees if we are dismissed. - That is? So, unemployment is also a problem even for those who are working! Our government has to make strategies to struggle it as soon as possible. - Yes, my friend. People are disturbed for that. Well, can I leave you, please? As you know my son is ill, and I have to reach mine on time in order to observe the last evolution of his illness. - Ok, no problem. Greet your wife on my behalf, please. - Thank you. ************************************** CHAPTER II. MAIN FACTORS OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN DRC For starting directly, the essential factors of unemployment that needs our attention is greatly the very bad climate for investment in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Indeed, DRC does not have a good reputation with this. According to Oasis Kodila (2011) , to start a new business in Indonesia, a company had to spend 84 working days to go through the 10 steps required for obtaining local permits and above all to spend more than 1,000$ USD. The World Bank (2010) rates DRC as among the top of countries in which the time needed to start a business is the longest. Policy uncertainty, political instability (generally in eastern part), high tax rates, corruption and crime are mentioned by World Bank as the major constraints which are seriously weighing on investment in Democratic Republic of Congo. These factors do not only hamper investment efforts but will also create an increase in unemployment because of luck of companies where people could work. Foreign investors who could come and work in DRC would then prefer allocating their investment to other African or Asia countries with more advantageous conditions. This is among factors which make deep differences between countries through the world. Some of countries have qualified institutions, which encourage taking risk, making easily business, the entrepreneurship spirit and investment. These are qualified as developed countries. But another kind of country in the world has institutions which do not encourage economical development, the respect of the private propriety and the economical freedom. That is why economical advisors claim more time that the lack of good policies in our country has participated in creating unemployment too. It is, therefore, clear that many changes have to be made to make Indonesia attractive for investors. CHAPTER III. PIECES OF REMEDIES AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT IN DRC III.1. The government point of view The huge level of DRC’s unemployment is not temporary. Nobody really thinks for a moment that there is any solution in the policies made on the starting of this year (2014) by our Prime Minister MATATA PONYO Mapon. Our government took only three policies aiming to create the conditions for the absorption of unemployment even in the long term, but also for relieving poverty in the country. In order to attend this objective, the DRC government had planned to: - Create strengthened incubation centers in order to promote job creating through the training and the framing of private small enterprises; - Achieve the elaboration process of the national policies of promoting employ ; - Develop and create some innovating initiatives of employ for idler’s youth, poor’s and villagers through the agriculture and workers cooperatives. III.2. Our own point of view These government’s strategies are good, but their weaknesses appear rather as intentional declarations because they do not have a concrete or a pragmatic character. This is one of the proofs which indicate that the only people can do serious work against unemployment in the DRC country. Many organizations with power are doing anything more about the subject. More of them have any strategy to end unemployment. There are other priorities for them. But according to me, the governmental strategy more concrete and practical to take as national policies aiming the employment promotion could be based on five flaps which are: o Facilitate the youth insertion in the public and private sectors: this aim could be attend if a structure was created in order to allow young people qualified from national universities to be inserted as probationer in public and/or private companies in order to get their first professional experience which very required for them. The second activity of this faming is to make sure with the recruitment of these probationers in companies where they are working. This strategy is not impossible because it is used successfully since 1990 in Benin Republic and many other countries in the world and especially in Africa continent. o Frame and assist technically people in their process of creating and make mature small and middling enterprises in all the country: centers have to be created in all the country in order to frame and make technical assistance for people who want to create small or middle enterprises. This strategy helps people to promote their business and employ themselves. Ending, this organization could be a structure where people can finance the acquisition of manufacturing equipment. Centers would aimed promoting private initiatives by favoring creation of new companies and develop them easily. Let us give only some domains where the center would provide accompaniment : – Analyze of the market opportunities; – Financial and operational audits; – Workmanship support ; - Formation of candidates who are made able to create companies; – Technical and financial research partners; – Personnel recruitment ; - Elaboration of projects… o Facilitate people to get credit through an appropriate warranty system. Especially for youth, it is because they are excluded by the actual banker system. It consists for the government to warranty and cautions to banks and financial cooperatives. So, small enterprises can be helped and normally a good occasion for them to be developed. The commission rate for that guaranty can be fixed by managers of the structure. o Make deep fiscals reforms in order to attract investors (national and foreign). Reforms which could exempt new created companies to pay taxes during a sufficient period (Ten or five years, for example). The purpose is to make the Congolese market be full of foreign companies which are installed in DRC. This is because the very first advantage is for many Congolese getting jobs, working in these companies. On the other side, people who would work in these companies would pay taxes to the Congolese state. III.3. Other Congolese experts point of view According to these DRC’s expects, the solution against unemployment can first be found in four elements:  Reform mining code of DRC;  Reform our education system, make it very adapted to actual and future labour market needed in Congo;  Solve the juridical insecurity for business man security;  Build infrastructures of communication, of electricity, and so on;  Facilitate DRC’s bankers to obtain much money for credit to many people. CONCLUSION Democratic Republic of Congo has many Economical potentialities. And to make value this potential trough the promotion of the Agricola sector since the production until the selling after the transformation is a certain source of increasing for the country. On the side of that, intellectual youth is a real opportunity for DRC. So, because the increasing sectors need an adapted labour, youth might profit to technical and professional formation according to the actual and future needs of the great DRC labour market. The pragmatism spirit should be the main acquit of our laureates, the self –employ be the main dream of our students and all that have a price. That is an urgent necessity to promote first youth employment. Great recommendation for Congolese people: try even with small capitals to create small enterprises which can contribute to absorb unemployment in the country. This act is a new indicator of our love to our country. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Document of strategies against youth unemployment and poverty in DRC, Espace de Recherche pour Economistes, 2011. 2. Google research 3. KODi English – French Dictionnary 4. Radio France Internation, Emission ‘’International’’.