KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo - The Congolese government has launched two connected initiatives designed to make the country’s digital transformation more inclusive: a nationwide campaign explaining the Digital Code and a project collecting Lingala-language data for artificial intelligence.
Minister of Digital Economy Augustin Kibassa Maliba officially launched the programmes in Kinshasa on August 6, presenting them as practical steps toward a safer, better-informed and more locally grounded digital future.
The campaign will progressively mobilise 2,000 young volunteers to help citizens understand their rights and responsibilities online. At the same time, the Lingala data project will build the linguistic resources needed for AI systems capable of understanding one of Congo’s most widely spoken national languages.
Together, the initiatives place young Congolese people and Congolese culture at the centre of technological progress.
A Digital Code Brought Closer to Citizens
The DRC’s Digital Code, adopted in March 2023, provides a legal framework for the country’s technology sector. It covers areas such as the protection of users, electronic transactions, personal data, cybersecurity and the development of the digital economy.
The new national campaign is intended to translate that legal framework into clear, accessible information that people can use in everyday life.
According to the official account of the launch, the volunteers will turn provisions of the law into simple messages, videos, infographics, interactive programmes and educational content. Materials are expected to be shared through social media and in national languages so that the campaign can reach audiences beyond legal and technology specialists.
The government’s approach gives young people a direct role in building digital citizenship. Instead of treating them only as technology users, the programme positions them as ambassadors who can help families, students, entrepreneurs, creators and local communities navigate the online environment with greater confidence.
What the 2,000 Young Volunteers Will Do
TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
DRC Launches Lingala AI and 2,000-Youth Campaign
7 août 2026
18 août 2026
7 min read
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KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo - The Congolese government has launched two connected initiatives designed to make the country’s digital transformation more inclusive: a nationwide campaign explaining the Digital Code and a project collecting Lingala-language data for artificial intelligence.
Minister of Digital Economy Augustin Kibassa Maliba officially launched the programmes in Kinshasa on August 6, presenting them as practical steps toward a safer, better-informed and more locally grounded digital future.
The campaign will progressively mobilise 2,000 young volunteers to help citizens understand their rights and responsibilities online. At the same time, the Lingala data project will build the linguistic resources needed for AI systems capable of understanding one of Congo’s most widely spoken national languages.
Together, the initiatives place young Congolese people and Congolese culture at the centre of technological progress.
A Digital Code Brought Closer to Citizens
The DRC’s Digital Code, adopted in March 2023, provides a legal framework for the country’s technology sector. It covers areas such as the protection of users, electronic transactions, personal data, cybersecurity and the development of the digital economy.
The new national campaign is intended to translate that legal framework into clear, accessible information that people can use in everyday life.
According to the official account of the launch, the volunteers will turn provisions of the law into simple messages, videos, infographics, interactive programmes and educational content. Materials are expected to be shared through social media and in national languages so that the campaign can reach audiences beyond legal and technology specialists.
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The government’s approach gives young people a direct role in building digital citizenship. Instead of treating them only as technology users, the programme positions them as ambassadors who can help families, students, entrepreneurs, creators and local communities navigate the online environment with greater confidence.
What the 2,000 Young Volunteers Will Do
The government says the 2,000 volunteers will be recruited progressively to animate a 30-day awareness campaign across the country.
The strategy calls for each participant to publish two educational messages per day, at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.- on subjects that affect ordinary internet users. Training, guidance and content-validation mechanisms are planned to keep the information clear and legally reliable.
Campaign component | Confirmed plan |
Youth participation | 2,000 volunteers mobilised progressively |
Campaign duration | 30 days |
Publication rhythm | Two educational posts per volunteer per day |
Main subjects | Digital rights, personal data, cybersecurity and responsible internet use |
Content formats | Videos, infographics, messages and interactive programmes |
Priority audiences | Youth, students, teachers, entrepreneurs, creators, journalists and civil society |
The Congolese Press Agency previously reported that the programme would inform, sensitise and support communities across the DRC’s provinces. The August 6 ceremony marked the official launch of the campaign and its national youth-volunteer network.
Lingala Enters Congo’s Artificial-Intelligence Future
The second initiative focuses on a challenge that affects many African languages: the shortage of structured data needed to train modern AI systems.
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Artificial-intelligence tools learn from large collections of text, speech, expressions and conversations. Languages with limited representation in those datasets are less likely to be understood accurately by chatbots, translators, voice assistants and other digital services.
The ELIKYA initiative is designed to change that for Lingala.
The project will collect, structure and validate Lingala-language material that can help train AI systems to recognise and process the language. The work may support future tools such as Lingala chatbots, translators, voice assistants and educational applications adapted to Congolese realities.
The United Nations Development Programme describes ELIKYA- which means “hope” in Lingala- as both a technology and cultural-inclusion initiative. It brings together Congolese universities, research centres, technology hubs and young innovators to structure linguistic data and develop locally relevant prototypes.
This is an important form of digital sovereignty. Congo is not only preparing to use artificial intelligence; it is helping ensure that the technology can understand the voices, expressions and experiences of Congolese people.
One Vision: A Sovereign, Connected and Inclusive Congo
The Digital Code campaign and the Lingala AI project reinforce the government’s wider ambition to build a DRC that is sovereign, connected, innovative and inclusive.
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They also give practical form to President Félix Tshisekedi’s national digital-transformation vision, carried forward by the government of Prime Minister Judith Suminwa. The emphasis is on using technology to modernise the state, create opportunity, strengthen national sovereignty and improve services for citizens.
That direction is aligned with the government’s sectoral digital-economy policy and national artificial-intelligence strategy presented in Kinshasa on August 4. Those frameworks identify digital infrastructure, public-service modernisation, innovation, cybersecurity, data governance and locally relevant AI as priorities through 2030.
The August 6 launch translates that national vision into two actions people can see and understand:
citizens receive practical information about their online rights and responsibilities;
young people gain a role in national digital education;
Lingala becomes part of the data foundation for future AI tools;
Congolese culture is treated as an asset in the technology economy;
government and development partners work together on inclusive digital transformation.
UNDP’s resident representative welcomed the government’s leadership and reaffirmed the organisation ’s support for digital governance, skills development and innovation in the DRC.
XTRAfrica Takeaway
The launch represents a confident step in Congo’s digital transformation. By helping citizens understand the rules of the online world, empowering young people to lead public education and bringing Lingala into the development of artificial intelligence, the government is connecting technology with identity, responsibility and national opportunity.
It is a distinctly Congolese approach to innovation: protect citizens, equip the youth and make sure the country’s own languages have a place in the technologies shaping the future.
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