.
Increased foreign support is essential if the goal of 4% annual GDP
growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help
supplement GDP.

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
The economy of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth
- has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began
in August 1998, dramatically reduced national output and government
revenue, increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of
perhaps 3.5 million people from war, famine, and disease. Foreign
businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome
of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating
environment. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the withdrawal of
a large portion of the invading foreign troops. Several IMF and
World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop
a coherent economic plan, and President KABILA has begun
implementing reforms. Much economic activity lies outside the GDP
data. Economic stability, aided by international donors, improved in
2003-04, although an uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a
lack of openness in government policy continues to hamper growth. In
2005, renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most
exports, could boost Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth.

Congo, Republic of the
The economy is a mixture of village
agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on
oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget
problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the
mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government
revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil
revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development
projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest
rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion
of its oil earnings, contributing to a shortage of revenues. The 12
January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50% resulted in
inflation of 61% in 1994, but inflation has subsided since. Economic
reform efforts continued with the support of international
organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. The reform
program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis
SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in Octobe