Digital Sector: The DRC Launches an Offensive for Its Youth

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has announced the completion of the first phase of its training-of-trainers program in Kinshasa. This initiative is part of a broad national program aimed at strengthening digital skills, with the ambition of eventually reaching 250,000 young people across the country.

Since February 13, 2026, the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education had outlined the operational framework of the program. An initial group of 500 young participants enrolled in a hybrid curriculum combining in-person sessions and online learning. At the end of the program, a final assessment will select 200 of the top-performing candidates. They will be classified into three levels — Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced — and tasked with disseminating the acquired skills nationwide.

In September 2025, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed a memorandum of understanding with the American companies Cisco and Cybastion to roll out the program over five years. Participants will receive training in networking and cybersecurity, data science, programming, operating systems, technical English, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship. Beyond training, both partners have committed to supporting the professional integration of beneficiaries through their local networks, in order to promote access to employment and business creation.

This training-of-trainers phase marks the concrete launch of a large-scale initiative to strengthen the digital skills of Congolese youth. For the authorities, digital technology represents a strategic lever for economic growth and social inclusion, as well as a key tool to address the persistent challenges of youth employment.

According to a study published in 2022 by the Ministry of Planning, individuals aged 15–29 account for 50.44% of the working-age population. Their unemployment rate (2.5%) remains higher than that of adults (1.4%), and long-term unemployment affects 61.8% of young people, compared to 61.2% among adults. The study also highlights that the country will need to generate approximately 9.6 million jobs between 2022 and 2030 to stabilize the labor market, and nearly 35 million additional jobs by 2050.