Luuk Zonneveld : « Le secteur privé en Afrique Centrale : entreprises, revenus et stabilité politique ».

E-CA – CRE-AC organise his 49th Rotonde Policy Talk on Monday November, 27th 2017.

Arguably the best way to combat poverty and underdevelopment is the flourishing of commercial enterprise, as research shows that worldwide, private companies, from the micro-enterprise market stall to major producers and providers of goods and services, provide up to 90% of jobs and income. Companies scale innovation, disseminate technology, generate the taxes that allow public bodies to provide infrastructure, education and health care, and contribute to communal, regional and national development.

Therefore, investments in private enterprise is particularly called for in Africa’s Great Lakes region, which suffers from the highest levels of poverty and underdevelopment in the world.

A second reason for promoting private enterprise in the Great Lakes region is the importance of economic development for political stability. The Indian economist Amartya Sen won the Nobel Prize for his research demonstrating the intricate relationship between economic prosperity and democracy. His thesis is that the root cause of political upheaval and violent conflict is the scarcity of decent paid work and income. If people’s basic needs are satisfied sustainably, they basically have more to lose than win by engaging in political infighting and violence.

BIO is an investment fund capitalized by the Belgian State. In my presentation, I will highlight how we invest in the DRC, Rwanda and Burundi, summarize our achievements and challenges, elaborate on the links between our investing and economic development, and invite to discuss how it may contribute to more political stability.