New Delhi, June 4 -- The World Bank has approved $250 million in financing for the Inga 3 hydropower project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), marking a dramatic re-entry into large-scale dam funding despite widespread opposition from civil society groups and longstanding governance concerns.

The Inga 3 project, which could eventually receive up to $1 billion in funding, is part of a larger $10 billion hydroelectric scheme on the Congo River. Its backers claim it will alleviate the DRC's severe electricity deficit, with only about 20 per cent of the population currently having access to power. But the scheme is more likely to benefit industrial users and foreign offtakers than ordinary Congolese, stated a press note from human ...