Democratic Republic of Congo economy grew at 9.5 pct in 2014 -PM

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's economy grew at 9.5 percent in 2014, one of its best performances since 1960, the year it secured independence, Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo said on Tuesday. Matata Ponyo said the government was targeting double-digit growth for 2015, without giving a more detailed forecast. Late last year, he predicted 2015 growth would be 10.4 percent. "According to the United Nations Development Programme, if we maintain this rate of wealth creation, the Congolese economy could become 'emerging' in 13 years," he told reporters, referring to a classification system of economies used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The government figures are more optimistic than those of the IMF from December, which estimated growth of 9.0 percent in 2014 and 9.1 percent for 2015, largely based on an expansion of mining output. Congo vies with Zambia to be Africa's top copper producer, having produced a record 1.03 million tonnes last year, and also has vast reserves of gold, diamonds and cobalt.