DRC: Digital technology can add around $4.1 billion to the economy by 2029 (GSMA)
September 23rd 2025
Many African countries are banking on digital transformation as a pillar of socio-economic development in the coming years. In Ghana, for example, the GSMA estimates the digital potential at around $3.4 billion by 2029.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could generate 11.8 trillion Congolese francs (approximately $4.1 billion) in added value, nearly 2.5 million jobs, and approximately CDF 3 trillion in additional tax revenue by 2029 by accelerating the digital transformation of its economy. This is according to a report on the country published Thursday, September 18, by the Global Association of Mobile Phone Operators (GSMA) at the Digital Africa Summit in Kinshasa.
Entitled “The DRC’s Digital Transformation: Opportunities, Policy Reforms, and the Role of Mobile Telecommunications,” the report attributes this growth to the positive impact of mobile telephony on productivity in sectors such as agriculture, industry, and retail, as well as in public services such as administration, education, and healthcare.
“The adoption of digital technologies opens new avenues for inclusive digital transformation, whether by increasing the added value of agricultural resources, facilitating access to global value chains, improving education and healthcare, reducing transaction costs or promoting the efficiency, transparency and governance of government services for citizens and businesses ,” the document reads.
Industry and agriculture on the front line
Added value is driven by the industrial sector, which generates 6,500 billion Congolese francs, or 6.5% of the sector’s GDP. 300,000 jobs and 1,000 billion in tax revenue are also expected. This will be achieved in particular through the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies such as IoT, 3D printing, virtual reality, data analysis and exploitation, AI, and machine learning, which would reduce machine downtime, strengthen safety, improve productivity, and optimize the manufacturing process.
Agriculture, which accounts for approximately 17% of GDP and employs 55% of the workforce, is expected to generate added value of 2.1 trillion Congolese francs, 1.7 million additional jobs, and an estimated CDF 300 billion in additional tax revenue. According to the GSMA, the digitalization of agriculture offers significant potential for improving agricultural productivity, particularly through better access to information, more effective crop monitoring, easier access to markets, and greater efficiency in the value chain.
In the services sector, digital applications will improve the marketing of new products, expand delivery services, reduce transport and logistics costs, improve efficiency, and strengthen market connections. The GSMA expects this to generate added value of CDF 1.9 trillion, create 500,000 jobs, and generate additional tax revenue of CDF 300 billion. The digitalization of public administration also promises additional revenue of CDF 1.3 trillion.
A strong political will
The DRC is already committed to the digital transformation process, with actions carried out through its Action Program and the National Digital Plan “Horizon 2025” (PNN), which aims to make Congolese digital technology a lever for integration, good governance, economic growth, and social progress. It is in this context that the country has created a ministry dedicated to the digital economy.
Minister Augustin Kibassa Maliba stated at the report’s launch ceremony that the government’s action is based on five major axes: the establishment of a reliable digital identity for the inclusion of citizens and the modernization of the administration; the deployment of a national digital portal (e-Gov) to improve access to public services; the strengthening of critical infrastructure (data centers, sovereign platforms, connectivity); the promotion of cybersecurity and data protection to guarantee the confidence of users and investors; and support for innovation and local start-ups, drivers of job creation for young people.
To achieve these goals, the minister emphasized the need for strong cooperation with African and international partners. He called on investors, technology companies, and donors to partner with the government through public-private partnerships in infrastructure, financing inclusive digital projects, and strengthening local capacities, in order to enable Congolese youth to become the vanguard of the digital revolution.
Telecoms infrastructure still needs to be strengthened
However, it is important to remember that telecommunications services are essential to digital transformation. “Thanks to its connectivity infrastructure and the digital services it offers, the mobile telecommunications sector is at the heart of the digitalization process,” emphasizes the GSMA.
The organization indicates that one of the main challenges facing the DRC is making internet access more affordable for the majority of the population, whose incomes often remain low. The country thus had approximately 18.1 million internet users in 2024, or 17% of the total population. The mobile phone penetration rate is estimated at 65%.
Other constraints also hamper the adoption of digital services, including limited network coverage, high tax pressure with nearly fifty taxes and fees, as well as difficulty accessing affordable and reliable energy.
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