This case study on forestry governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) forms part of a three-year project entitled Strengthening the Governance of Africa’s Natural Resources, conducted by the Governance of Africa’s Resources Programme (GARP) of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).

Funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it aims to make a significant input into policy governing the exploitation and extraction of Africa’s natural resources by assessing existing governance regimes and suggesting alternatives to targeted stakeholders.The level and quality of governance within key states is central to the developmental trajectory of the entire continent.

GARP examines the governance of a number of resource rich African countries within the context of cross-cutting themes such as environmental change and sustainability issues. Addressing these elements is critical for Africa to avoid deepening the challenges of governance and reducing its vulnerability to related crises, including climate change, energy security and environmental degradation. The programme focuses on four natural resource sectors in four African countries, i.e. mining, forestry, fisheries and petroleum in Tanzania, the DRC, Angola and Sudan.