Introduction: The Congolese Paradox
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources. Its soil holds strategic minerals essential to the global energy transition, its rivers offer immense hydroelectric potential, its lands could feed hundreds of millions, and its population is predominantly young and dynamic.
Yet, most Congolese live in poverty. This paradox is not due to a lack of resources, but rather to the unequal distribution of wealth. For decades, wealth has benefited a few while the majority endures hardship.
But this reality can be changed. With the right reforms and collective responsibility, the DRC can transform injustice into an opportunity. Here are 7 concrete solutions to turn wealth into shared prosperity.
1. Reinvest Mining Revenues into Social Development
Billions of dollars are generated each year from cobalt, copper, gold, and coltan. Yet, the social impact on the population remains minimal.
👉 The solution: dedicate 30% of mining royalties to a National Social Development Fund, exclusively financing schools, hospitals, roads, and clean water access.
The free primary education policy already in place in the DRC is an important step. This must now extend to secondary education, ensuring that every Congolese child has access to a full cycle of schooling regardless of family income.
Likewise, the recently introduced free maternity care must be strengthened and expanded so that every woman can give birth in dignity and safety.
These social investments, funded by natural resource revenues, would show the Congolese people that national wealth is finally working for them.
2. Build Food Sovereignty
Every year, the DRC spends more than USD 2 billion importing basic foodstuffs such as rice, maize, and fish. This is a paradox for a country with 80 million hectares of arable land.
👉 The solution: establish a Food Sovereignty Fund, financed by 20% of mining revenues, to industrialize agriculture.
Here, the Eyano Cassava Institute plays a strategic role. Cassava, a staple food for Congolese families, can be transformed into flour, starch, biscuits, and even bioethanol. By industrializing this sector, the Institute could create millions of jobs, reduce imports, and strengthen food security.
Nigeria has successfully reduced rice imports by supporting local cooperatives. The DRC can do the same and move from a net importer to a regional food exporter.
3. Introduce a National Dividend for Citizens
One of the greatest injustices is that communities in mining areas such as Kolwezi, Bunia, and Mbuji-Mayi remain poor despite the wealth extracted from their lands.
👉 The solution: establish a national dividend, distributed annually to every Congolese citizen via a digital social card.
Alaska in the United States offers a model: every resident receives an annual check from oil revenues.
In the DRC, this dividend would be enabled by the Congolese Digital Franc (CDF), a digital currency backed by gold and mineral reserves. It would ensure secure, transparent transfers and prevent corruption. Each Congolese citizen would directly benefit from the nation’s wealth.
4. Local Industrialization to Create Added Value
Today, the DRC exports raw minerals and imports finished products at ten times the price.
👉 The solution: gradually ban the export of raw minerals and require mining companies to invest in local processing plants.
Indonesia applied this strategy by prohibiting the export of raw nickel. As a result, billions of dollars flowed into domestic battery manufacturing plants.
The DRC could follow the same path and become a global leader in the electric battery industry. This would create hundreds of thousands of skilled jobs and diversify the economy.
5. Decentralize Revenue Management
The Congolese Constitution requires 40% of national revenues to be returned to the provinces. In practice, this provision is rarely enforced.
👉 The solution: strictly apply this principle. Each province must receive its fair share to finance its development.
If Kasai received its 40%, it could rehabilitate agricultural roads. If North Kivu received its portion, it could modernize hospitals and schools.
Decentralization ensures that wealth meets local needs, reduces frustrations, and strengthens national cohesion.
6. Ensure Transparency Through Digital Traceability
Billions of dollars disappear annually due to corruption and opaque systems.
👉 The solution: create a public digital traceability platform, allowing every citizen to monitor mining exports and tax revenues in real time.
With the adoption of the Congolese Digital Franc (CDF), all transactions could be tracked securely. This system would reduce fraud, build trust, and ensure that resource revenues actually serve the people.
Transparency is not only a governance tool but also a means of national mobilization.
7. Invest in Nuclear Energy and Youth Employment
Without energy, there is no industrialization. Without jobs, there is no social stability.
👉 The solution: massively invest in hydroelectricity and civil nuclear energy.
The DRC already has immense hydroelectric potential through Inga, Katende, and Ruzizi. But in the long run, nuclear energy will provide strategic independence, enabling large-scale industrialization and energy security.
At the same time, revenues must fund youth employment and entrepreneurship programs. Unemployed citizens should receive monthly support guaranteed by the Minimum Vital Law, financed by mining revenues and exports.
This would reduce inequality, provide economic security, and unleash the creativity of Congo’s youth.
Conclusion: Building Shared Prosperity
The unequal distribution of wealth in the DRC is the main driver of poverty. But tomorrow, it can become the key to shared prosperity.
With a social fund financed by mining revenues, food sovereignty driven by the Eyano Cassava Institute, a national dividend enabled by the Congolese Digital Franc, local industrialization, effective decentralization, digital transparency, and investment in nuclear energy and youth, the DRC has a clear roadmap to end poverty.
Congo’s wealth is a national heritage. It must unite both leaders and citizens in a shared responsibility: turning abundance into social justice, and past injustice into a driver of sustainable prosperity.
By striving for fair distribution, we are not just correcting an imbalance—we are building a strong, united, and prosperous nation.
✍️
Augustin Kazadi-Cilumbayi
President & Chief Executive Officer
Eyano Publishing
📧 contact@eyanoexpress.com
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