read the Economic paragraph here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Free_State
Summary: The Belgians were idiots when it came to building an economic enterprise.
why was the congo free state not able to make a profit in the early years?
3 answers
I am not sure it ever really made a profit.
The Europeans desire for profit affected the people of Congo by taking away their freedom, forcing them into slavery, taking away their customs, affected the economy etc.