• Digital economy minister meets investors from the UAE and Tunisia

• Government seeks private partnerships to accelerate digital projects

• DRC plans $1.5 billion in digital transformation spending through 2030

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is stepping up efforts to attract foreign investment into its digital sector, as part of a broader strategy to develop national digital infrastructure and strengthen its technology ecosystem.

On Thursday, February 5, Digital Economy Minister Augustin Kibassa Maliba met in Kinshasa with a delegation from UAE-based company The Founding, which presented proposals for data center projects to support the country’s digital infrastructure. The initiative aligns with the government’s goal of drawing international investors into the sector.

According to Anand Madia, co-founder and senior adviser at The Founding, the discussions helped clarify the expectations of Congolese authorities. He said the minister was receptive and suggested setting up a committee or working group to review proposed projects, identify related initiatives, and define the technical specifications needed for implementation, with support from the ministry.

In the same context, the minister also met with Tunisian firm Dirasset International, which specializes in urban planning and land development, alongside Bayayi Group, which operates in distribution, agriculture, logistics, and insurance. The ministry said the discussions focused on potential cooperation on large-scale projects that could support public policies in the DRC, without providing further details on the digital component.

Growing efforts to attract investors

As part of its digital transformation agenda, the Congolese government is seeking to strengthen strategic partnerships with both domestic and international private sector players to pool expertise and accelerate innovation. The DRC plans to invest $1.5 billion in digital transformation between 2026 and 2030, in addition to funding already mobilized from international partners.

In December, during a forum on the DRC–United States partnership, Kibassa Maliba highlighted the importance of innovative partnerships with U.S. companies, particularly in digital infrastructure, technological innovation, cybersecurity, and digital skills development.

In November, Posts and Telecommunications Minister José Mpanda Kabangu met a delegation from British International Investment to discuss the government’s priorities in the telecommunications sector. He pointed to the scale of the digital divide, noting that 145 territories remain unconnected, about 4,000 km of fiber optic cable have been deployed against an estimated need of 50,000 km, and the country has 5,150 telecom towers compared with a requirement of at least 30,000.

Several partnership announcements were made in 2025 to finance digital projects. In October, the DRC finalized a $150 million agreement with Mauritius-based United Investment LMT to deploy up to 80,000 km of fiber optic cable, install a submarine cable, and build three data centers. In September, U.S.-based Unity Development Fund expressed interest in investing in the Congolese digital sector. In August, Nigeria’s Fidelity Bank signaled interest in financing a national telecommunications satellite project. In February, the government also signed a $1 billion agreement with Indian firm General Technologies.

Strong potential, persistent structural challenges

While many of these initiatives remain at an early stage, they form part of a broader government strategy that positions digital technology as a driver of socioeconomic development, notably through the digitalization of public services to improve access for citizens.

More broadly, digital integration across the economy could generate an estimated $4.1 billion in added value by 2029, according to GSMA. In agriculture, the organization said digitalization could significantly boost productivity through better access to information, improved crop monitoring, easier market access, and value chain optimization. GSMA estimates this could generate about 2,100 billion Congolese francs, or roughly $922 million, in added value by 2029, create 1.7 million additional jobs, and increase tax revenues by about 300 billion Congolese francs.

Despite this potential, the DRC continues to face major structural challenges. The country ranks 179th out of 193 on the United Nations E-Government Development Index, with a score of 0.2725 out of 1, below subregional, African, and global averages. Its weakest performance is in the telecommunications infrastructure sub-index, at 0.1591.

According to the International Telecommunication Union, in 2023, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks covered 75%, 55%, and 45% of the Congolese population, respectively. Mobile phone penetration stood at 55%, compared with 30.5% for internet use. GSMA estimated that around 40 million people in the DRC did not use mobile internet in 2023.

On cybersecurity, the ITU ranked the DRC in the third tier of its 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index. The country posted relatively satisfactory results on the legal framework but lagged in technical measures, capacity building, and cooperation.

Isaac K. Kassouwi