Inga dam at risk of becoming another “white elephant”

The Inga III dam power plant is a public-private partnership (PPP) hydroelectric project that is currently in its design phase. The project was preceded by Inga I and Inga II, both failed mega infrastructure dams, which can be described as “white elephants”. This case provides some insights into the politicised nature of infrastructure development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The benefits of this project are described as steps towards the creation of a continental electricity market that is important for accelerating the region’s industrial economic development. However, the project raises many concerns.

In 2009, Counter Balance has released a report specifically on this project: "The world's biggest dam and development's heart of darkness".