DRC - Digital - The vision of digital technology, a strategic component of development

Since 2019, the government has considered digital technology a strategic component of development. The country, which needs 50,000 km of fiber optics to achieve full digitalization, is investing in digital inclusion and economic growth.

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With a low internet penetration rate, the DRC is still lagging behind in terms of access to very high-speed digital infrastructure, while digitalization is becoming essential for every area of life.

After laying 2,500 km of fiber optic cable in the west of the country, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a subsidiary of the Zimbabwean group Econet Wireless, is deploying a new 4,000 km network between the south-central and eastern parts of the DRC. With these two lines, the DRC becomes the 14th member country of the "One Africa" network, which totals more than 73,000 km of fiber optic cable. The municipalities of Limete, Gombe, and Ngaliema are already connected to the fiber optic network.

The affected areas are connected using fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology, providing connectivity to both individuals and businesses.

The Congolese Fiber Optic Company (SOCOF SA) inaugurated a 620-kilometer network between Moanda in Kongo Central province and the capital Kinshasa on August 23, 2021. The result of the collaboration between the government of the Republic and the World Bank within the framework of the CAB5 project (Central African Backbone Project), this network was built by a South Korean company on the Moanda-Kinshasa axis 1 passing on the SCTP railway right-of-way from the central station to Matadi.

In March 2022, Fiber Access Service Technology Congo (Fast-Congo) was awarded the lease contract for the operation and maintenance of the Kinshasa-Muanda fiber optic network belonging to the Congolese Fiber Optic Company (SOCOF). Valid for 15 years, the agreement provides for Fast Congo to install its transmission equipment along the Kinshasa-Muanda axis to provide wholesale internet services to telecommunications operators. It will also ensure the repair of any damage that could hamper the operation of the broadband telecom infrastructure.

The operation of this network is expected to provide additional capacity to satisfy a greater number of consumers and enable them to benefit from the socio-economic advantages of broadband at affordable costs, thus helping to reduce the digital divide in the country.

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The contract awarded to Fast Congo came about two weeks after the government adopted the leasing model for managing the fiber optic section. This option guarantees international expertise for the marketing of telecom infrastructure capacity, but also for its troubleshooting in the event of an incident.

At the end of June 2021, Egypt's Benya Capital began work on laying several thousand kilometers of fiber optic cables across the country. Under the contract with the Congolese Post and Telecommunications Company (SCPT), 16,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables are to be deployed across the country.

CSquared, a pan-African company specializing in the operation of digital infrastructures, with a planned budget of 100 million dollars, also plans to invest in the DRC.

At the institutional level, the SCPT has three data centers directly connected to the national fiber optic backbone in Moanda, Kinshasa, and Lubumbashi. Private operators also have data centers in Kinshasa, primarily dedicated to their internal use for managing their infrastructure and services. The Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and New Information and Communication Technologies (PTNTIC) will soon launch calls for tenders for the construction of a national data center.

Silikin Village, a digital and technological innovation hub

Funded by the World Bank and the Congolese government to the tune of $100 million, the Kazi project – Swahili for "work" – aims to rapidly develop SMEs so that the DRC becomes a center of economic competitiveness that will transform the local economy.

Silikin Village, an initiative of the Texaf group, is the first center intended to host the first Kazi headquarters in Kinshasa. In addition to this headquarters, this project, which aims to encourage, through private investors and developers, the creation and multiplication of SME centers throughout the DRC, also targets the cities of Matadi, Lubumbashi and Goma in its pilot phase.

Specializing in digital technology, Silikin Village offers SMEs located there co-working spaces, a business center, a digital campus, and an SME support platform. All this in a secure, well-equipped environment with access to basic infrastructure such as water, electricity, fiber optic internet, as well as strategic, administrative, and legal support services.

This partnership is in line with Silikin Village's vision of being a catalyst for Congolese startups and SMEs contributing to expanding the Congolese economic fabric, creating value and bringing innovation to economic, social and cultural communities.