The Democratic Republic of Congo’s GDP growth reached 8.5% in 2015, largely thanks to the increase in mining activity. Lubumbashi, the country’s second-largest city, is the capital of the copper-rich Katanga province. Since 2000, its population has expanded by more than 50% to over 1.5 million, making Lubumbashi the twelfth-fastest-expanding city in the world. Located 16km northwest of Lubumbashi, Kiswishi sits on over 4,400 hectares of land adjacent to a large complex operated by Mines d Luishishi. The project is representative of a trend to segregate wealthier populations in isolated suburban compounds as a means to tackle the consequences of overpopulation in growing African cities. Depending on who one asks, Kiswishi is either oriented towards accommodating the DRC’s growing middle-class, or an exclusive, luxury tourist destination designed to house over 100,000 residents and visitors. With its master-plan complete, parcels in Kiswishi’s 108ha first phase are currently for sale. The project is being developed by Rendeavour, with $50-million in backing from Renaissance Partners, a unit of Moscow-based emerging-markets investment bank Renaissance Group.
