## **4.3 Upriver Transport: Natural and Man-Made Hazards**

**Improved conditions for river-based trade in Kinshasa and Brazzaville could also revive upriver trade, thereby promoting the economic development of the capitals’ vast hinterlands.** Of Kinshasa’s 50-odd ports, most are primarily used for upriver transport. Total traffic on the river seems to have decreased in recent years and shifted from ONATRA’s vessels and ports to private operators (Peters, 2010). Vessels are usually heavily overloaded, and severe accidents are common. The length of upriver rotations has increased substantially as maintenance of the river systems has deteriorated. For example, while historically it took ONATRA about 15 days to travel to Kisangani from Kinshasa (with an approximate return journey downriver taking 5-7 days), it now takes a month or more for such a trip.

**River-based transport could be cheap and efficient but requires some investment.** The DRC river system is estimated to comprise 25,000 km of navigable waterways, of which 15,000 are classified as “known”. These 15,000 km of river system are used in their natural state with the exception of 2,668 km that are in principle maintained by RVF. However, the condition of the principal river connections (Kinshasa to Kisangani, on the Kasai to Ilebo, and to Kikwit) has deteriorated sharply over the last 20 years. Rivers are not sufficiently dredged, channels and sand banks are not clearly marked, and signs are not illuminated, indicating that RVF is not fulfilling its mandate. As a result, ships often can only circulate during the day and in the rainy season. RVF currently have an annual budget of between 5 and 8 USD million but claim that they would need a budget of 15-20 USD million to maintain the river network. Their equipment consists of one very small ship with a dredge, as well as seven ships - of which two are operational - that can be used to mark the river with buoys and signs that are often fixed to trees. RVF seem to face similar problems as other public agencies with regard to high personnel costs and pension liabilities.

**Administrative hassle and insecurity are major obstacles to upriver traffic.** In addition to insufficient dredging and marking, boats sailing upriver seem to have to stop frequently and have to pay bribes to continue their journeys. Officially, there is no regulation that would demand boats to stop along their journey unless they wanted to stop or needed to charge fuel. However, in reality there seem to be at least five agencies that cooperate in extortion, approaching traveling ships on small speedboats that belong to the Force Navale: the Commissariat fluvial, the DGM, Services spéciaux (effectively some kind of police inspecting cargos for arms), Force navale, and the secret service (DEMIAP). While no payment is required for the control of documents, delays due to these “controls” seems to depend on the amount of informal payments made, and can range from five minutes to two hours and possibly more. The Commissariat fluvial is mandated to check for the captain’s certificate as well as the accuracy of the “carnet de bord” regarding tonnage and passengers. It is less clear whether they also have the mandate (or are allowed) to stop and control boats during their journey.  Due to the politically sensitive situation in the Equateur province, there currently seems to be a more or less official requirement to stop at Maluku port, at the far end of the Malebo Pool.

# **5. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS**

**In line with recent World Bank recommendations, we advocate a policy focus on small but concrete measures within a “natural neighborhood”.** The 2009 _World Development Report_ (World Bank, 2008) stresses regional integration in Africa as a key component of strategies aiming to foster export capacity and development. Regional integration is defined in a sense that goes well

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