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DRC’S LOW DIGITAL PENETRATION AND THE DANGER OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON THE POPULATION

By  Eunicia Lutete updated on May 21, 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the hottest topic as the world rapidly transitions into a more digital era. While AI promises to make people’s lives easier, it comes with a mix of positive impacts and significant challenges. This article focuses on Africa, with a case study of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where only 27% of the population has internet access. In the DRC, AI risks widening the gap between rich and poor, especially as the educational system struggles to equip people with basic digital skills. According to Statistica, AI adoption in Africa is limited, with only a few exceptions like South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Togo, Libya, and Ghana actively adopting AI. Many African nations lack the essential elements for technology adoption, including infrastructure, data ecosystems, STEM education, and governance systems such as the DRC. 

Africa, the youngest continent, pulsates with potential and natural resources, with the DRC standing out due to its vast mineral wealth. As the DRC opens its doors to global engagement, it encounters the transformative power of AI amidst significant challenges, such as low digital penetration and cybersecurity concerns. While urban centers in Africa are witnessing rapid digitalization, many rural areas still lack consistent internet connectivity and power supply. The human capital, though burgeoning with enthusiasm for technology, requires specialised training in AI-driven statistical methods. This article delves into the implications of AI adoption in the DRC, discussing both the hurdles and opportunities. 

On a global scale, Artificial Intelligence market size is expected to show an annual growth rate (of 28.46%, resulting in a market volume of US$826.70bn by 2030 (Statistica 2024). While looking at the market comparison, the largest market size will be in the United States with approximately US$50.16bn in 2024 and still counting. Due to the rising demand for generative AI products could add about $280 billion of new software revenue, driven by specialised assistants, new infrastructure products, and copilots that accelerate coding (Bloomberg 2024).  

With just 27% internet penetration, the DRC faces foundational digital infrastructural challenges. In an era marked by technological evolution, AI emerges as a pivotal tool for societal progress, economic growth, and governance efficiency. However, integrating AI requires a nuanced understanding of privacy concerns and cybersecurity imperatives. The low literacy rate in the DRC exacerbates fears that AI could dominate the country, particularly if people lack the basic skills required to use AI effectively. The AI market is expected to continue to experience significant growth and development until 2030, driven by increasing adoption of AI technologies across industries, advancements in AI algorithms and infrastructure, and growing investment in AI research and development. The market is expected to see continued innovation and expansion, with AI becoming an increasingly integral part of business operations and consumer-facing applications. 

In addition, Mandeep Singh, Senior Technology Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence and lead author of the report of Generative AI to Become a $1.3 Trillion Market by 2032, Research Finds said, “The world is poised to see an explosion of growth in the generative AI sector over the next ten years that promises to fundamentally change the way the technology sector operates. The technology is set to become an increasingly essential part of IT spending, ad spending, and cybersecurity as it develops” (Bloomberg 2024). 

Education is crucial for better AI implementation, the African region dedicates 5% of GDP to public education expenditure, with international donors financing about 6% of education resources in African countries. UNESCO’s 2015 Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR) highlights a $21 billion annual external funding gap needed to achieve quality, universal pre-primary, primary, and lower secondary education by 2030. Jeffrey Sachs (2015) estimates this gap at $40 billion when including universal secondary education with access to ICT. 

Many talented individuals in the DRC are eager for better education opportunities within their country to help address its AI penetration challenges. However, foundational skills must be taught from primary school through to university. While AI can be a powerful enabler, it can also become a disabler by making people dependent on vast amounts of information without understanding where to start. AI presents a great opportunity for all, but it must be introduced carefully in countries like the DRC, where the education system is still developing, despite the many talented individuals it produces. 

While AI has the potential to simplify lives, there must be a robust structure in place to ensure the population acquires basic digital skills. Without this foundation, AI could exacerbate existing inequalities, deepening the divide between the rich and the poor. Ensuring that AI does not replace human connection is essential to prevent further social stratification. While technological progress promotes employment growth, it will “also harm full employment, leading to a dilemma in macroeconomic policies” (Yang, 2020). The fear of AI has increased the fear of losing jobs in a market that already had a high unemployment rate  

The DRC stands at a critical juncture, where the integration of AI could either drive significant progress or exacerbate the divide between its wealthy and impoverished populations. To leverage AI’s benefits, the DRC must focus on improving digital literacy, developing robust data infrastructure, formulating effective policies, and securing adequate funding. Addressing these foundational issues will allow the DRC to maximise AI’s positive impact and ensure a more equitable and prosperous future for all its citizens. 

AI technology influences various aspects of life and production, bringing numerous advantages to society. However, it also has the potential to widen the gap between the rich and the poor. For individuals, the advancement of AI technology often leads to the displacement of many jobs, particularly those relying on low-skilled labor, resulting in unemployment and increased poverty. Conversely, AI has given rise to new professions, enabling highly skilled individuals to become wealthier. For companies, AI offers a dual impact. Large companies with AI capabilities can produce high-tech products more efficiently, reducing the need for extensive human and material resources, and thereby achieving substantial revenue. In contrast, smaller companies lacking technological advantages must rely on outdated production methods, resulting in lower efficiency, poorer product quality, and reduced revenue, alongside high labour costs. At the national level, AI can deepen the divide between the wealthy and the poor, potentially increasing the country’s Gini coefficient which is an index for the degree of inequality in the distribution of income/wealth, used to estimate how far a country’s wealth or income distribution deviates from an equal distribution. Therefore, it can be concluded that AI has the potential to widen economic disparities, making the 21st century one of the most unequal eras in terms of wealth distribution.



Africa, the cradle of humanity, a land that stirs the soul with its mystic allure. My soul chose to be born in a land where golden savannahs stretch far and wide. A land where one can witness the plains come alive with the rhythmic footsteps of herds embarking on their breath-taking migration in a timeless display of resilience and unity. A country that holds beauty, that enchants the senses and ignites wonder.

My land, my motherland Kenya. Born into a Kenyan family of Asian descent, a family that has lived and breathed Kenya and Africa for previous 5 generations, I can only identify as a Kenyan, a proud 6th generation African. Brought up in a family where ‘Being Human’ was the main principal belief. We have been raised with values that don’t differ greatly from those of the thousands of tribes that make up Africa – roots, heritage, family, faith, morals, principles and more.

Many years ago, I stood on stage at a speech writing contest in High School, where I described the strategy behind Muhamad Ali’s glorious win where he “floated like a butterfly, and stung like a bee” against George Foreman, in the fight forever known as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle.’ Years later, never even in my wildest imagination, did I imagine I would be living in the very ‘jungle’ itself, and working in the world of strategic storytelling and encouraging the amplification of Congolese voices and narratives far and wide across the globe from the heart of Africa.

Congo or as it was then called Zaire, a land that was stamped in the memory of the World as the place where Ali fought Foreman and caused a mighty Rumble in the boxing world. A battle that was immortalised in the song ‘In Zaire’ sung by Johnny Wakelin. Congo was a land everyone wanted to know about.

A land that is endowed with all the riches known to mankind. A blessed land, with a rich cultural heritage and a teeming, deserving population. A land sadly destroyed by its colonial past. Which, since its independence, is slowly trying to attain its rightful place in the World. It is here that I arrived five years back.

As I look back on my first five years of living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there have been moments of floating and very often, little stings. I moved to Kinshasa for love. In the beginning, I can honestly admit, it was not love for the city or the country or the people – I didn’t know enough about this 

ginormous country and the 100+ million people that fill its borders – it was personal love. But five years later, I never thought I could love a country and its people as though they were mine. That love comes from the heart that feels the mystic rhythm of the African land, and I couldn’t be prouder to call it home.

You can never shake the ancient dust of Africa off your boots – no matter how far and wide you travel.

Having lived in London for thirteen years followed by a few years in the Middle East, returning to Africa was natural. 

The love for Africa always remains in the soul. Living in the heart and soul of Central Africa, has been an adventure.

The narratives that have filled Western Media have sung a different song for many years, call it geo-politics, strategic positioning, economic control, all things aside, the story of the Congo has never really been told loudly by the Congolese themselves. From the outside looking in, the perceptions are dotted and plagued with negativity, but on the ground, the beating hearts of the Congolese are rumbling a little louder day by day towards progress, and it’s in these slivers of hope, that the true stories are revealed.

The stories that spotlight the young entrepreneur battling to build a viable business, young students carving out their careers currently into untapped and underdeveloped industries, the non-existent middle class that should build the private sector and contribute to its growth and the country’s economy, international investors building projects that create jobs and wealth for the locals as much as it does for the financial interest in the Congo. We can’t talk about changing the narrative of a country when we don’t discuss the positive changes that education, infrastructure developments, economic policies, universal health care, food self sufficiency etc can contribute towards developing Congo.

In Africa, a transformative era is on the horizon as the continent sets its sights on change and development like never before, and country examples like Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, and Kenya are a testament to these positive changes. A combined drive by the Africans to build an Africa by Africans for a future developed Africa. A daunting task as a fellow African who first arrived in Kinshasa for a two-week trip which quickly extended from month to month and snowballed into creating a business in the field of strategic advisory and communications. It was created around the simple premise – the African narrative needs to be written by the Africans, and the Congolese needed a platform for their voices to be heard as far and wide across the globe.

At the heart of Africa, the center of its soul, the Congolese beats are picking up. Business is quietly picking up, post the first peaceful democratic elections. As the incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi embarks on his second mandate, the world waits with bated breath for the promised change and greater development, the impact of which can be felt across the entire population. Whether its infrastructure, governance reform, education, better health, access to basic needs – there are plenty of conversations to be had. Storytelling, an essential part of Congolese culture, an oral tradition that is filled with narratives, stories, and songs, need to be told from the perceptions and opinions of the Congolese.

In the past, and especially in 2023 the power and bias of the international media came to the forefront.

Geopolitics and powerful Media Houses controlled and amplified the narrative that in their perception was important. It’s only natural to question the visibility of certain global issues over another. This raises the question about the impact of our voices when catastrophes and issues affecting an African country are narrated differently. Whether it’s election, unrest or other catastrophes affecting an African country, sometimes the western media does not consider it newsworthy because they do not have an in-depth understanding and information of the issues and disasters that affects this Continent.

There are a lot of positive changes happening as well, and these news worthy developments need to be made a part of the Global narrative. Positive or negative these conversations need to be had openly and who better than the Africans to be at the forefront of this narrative. The true voices of the Congolese need to be heard from their heart and soul and from their perspective. That’s when the true picture of the reality of their lives, struggles and aspirations emerges.

There is a need for a platform where the Congolese voices and the African voices can be heard, where views can be freely given not as a negative but as a positive approach to help bring the DRC to take its rightful place, not just in Africa but also in the World. Is it not our experiences from around the world when put together with like minded individuals – where greatness begins? Where stories and narratives become the basis for legacies.

DRConversations is the platform created as a gift for all the voices that need to be heard, for all the emotions that need to be expressed and to bring forth the dreams and aspirations of a nation on the cusp of development. Join this journey by sharing openly your knowledge and experience to make DRC a happy, positive and progressive Nation.

It’s time for another rumble in the jungle – Welcome to the conversations from the Congo.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             KS