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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
MINISTRY OF HIGHER AND UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
NATIONAL PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY
ECOLE DOCTORALE
SURVIYING NATURAL RESOURCES.
Economic Aspect
Joseph KYAKIMWA MULERE
Academic Year 2009-2010
Remerciements
Nous remercions le Professeur NDOMBA qui
nous a incité à cette recherche ;
Nous remercions également les autorités de
l'UPN KINSHASA pour cette occasion de formation offerte à la
crème scientifique du Nord Kivu longtemps oubliée ;
A tous ceux qui soutiennent et soutiendront l'initiative de
la formation au troisième cycle, nous adressons nos remerciements
anticipés.
Nous remercions le professeur Jacques ZAHIGA Chef du
département de Gestion et qui nous soutien par sa présence
scientifique dans nos recherches.
Joseph KYAKIMWA MULERE
I. INTRODUCTION
Economic sciences aim to study the administration of rare
resources i.e. they deal with rational distribution of economic resources so as
to cater for human unlimited needs. In agreement with what precedes, Samuelson
and nordhaus (...p.4) say that economics is the study of the way societies use
rare resources in order to produce worthy goods and redistribute them among
individuals.
Among the various resources at the disposal of the
«homoeconomicus" we can mention natural resources. We may even say that
natural resources are the primary economic resources from which secondary
resources emerge. Whether they are natural, primary, secondary or ultra
secondary, economic resources are rare. Economic theories have adopted the
concepts" scarcity" and «efficiency" as
the two twin themes of economics.
Natural resources theory is the sit of reflections related to
economic that consists explaining which behavior economic agents need to
display for an efficient distribution of those very resources, some of which
are renewable while others may he exhausted. This theme interests not only
economists but also geologists, ecologists, chemists, and so on.
- In the framework of the English work seminar in the
3rd cycle, applied economic sciences departments, we have been asked
to deal thoroughly with a topic related to our study field. We have therefore
chosen to deal with the economic feature of natural resources. This survey will
cover the following points:
- Overview of literature on natural resources and a definition
of the latter resources.
- He world wide situation of natural resources
- Current situation of natural resources in Africa
- Analysis of the situation of natural resources in
the DRC in general
and North-Kivu in particular.
II THE NATURAL RESOURCES CONCEPTS
Human life was in keeping with a natural environment provided
by the creator.
Indeed, the bible and other religious scriptures unanimously
show that from the first creation day up to the creator set himself prepare a
material or physical, atmospheric environment for man, his last creature.
The natural resources that God created were of various types,
some are accessible while others and not, namely:
- atmospherics, spheres, hemisphercs and stratosphercs
- water, light, the earth
- fishes, animals, birds, insects, and vegetation
From those various biospheres, life, natural resources were
transformed and mining products, fuels, petrol, forests, savannas, etc.
appeared.
In the economic field, natural resources are goods that are
accessible to man and for which he pays a cost in order to enjoy them.
According to Walter Meigs, Robert Meigs and Daniel MC Mahon,
some natural resources consist of mining, Oil, Gaz and forest products and are
exhaustible.
Other authors consider the economic goods called natural
resources to be reproducible.
The economist's concern is different from that of the
geologist or that of the chemist. For the economist the concern is to know how
much it will cost to access to such natural resources, how to maximize their
worth taking into account the law demand and supply.
A number of theorists have dealt with the natural resources
problematics and their thoughts can le read through the ad hoc economic
literature paper.
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