DRC Urged to Shift Focus from Mining to Agriculture for Inclusive Growth
KINSHASA – During a special briefing held on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya, called for a strategic shift from the mining sector to agriculture, arguing that mining has failed to translate into improved household incomes.
Paluku emphasized that despite the country’s vast mineral exports, particularly cobalt and copper, the economic benefits have not reached ordinary citizens.
“For some time now, our foreign trade has been underperforming. We realize that the DRC has not truly benefited from the mining sector,” he stated.
“Last year, we exported about 150,000 tons of cobalt and more than 3 million tons of copper. Yet this has not improved the average household’s situation.”
He pointed out that cobalt is currently trading at around $33,000 per ton. Based on this, annual cobalt exports could be worth roughly $60 billion, with copper exports bringing in an estimated $29 billion. However, he noted, this wealth is not reflected in daily life for most Congolese.
Highlighting the need for economic diversification, Paluku echoed President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi’s call to invest in sectors that promote sustainable growth—especially agriculture.
“We must move toward the agricultural sector to improve household welfare. This sector offers greater potential for inclusive development,” he said.
Paluku also stressed the sector’s capacity to create jobs, suggesting that agriculture could generate up to 120 million employment opportunities.
“The agricultural sector could generate 120 million jobs, while the DRC has only 100 million inhabitants.
This means we would even need to import labor. But it’s not enough to produce—we must also develop markets for our products,” he added.
His remarks reinforced growing calls for a diversified economic model in the DRC, one that goes beyond mineral extraction and builds long-term, broad-based prosperity.
