Kinshasa, June 8th, 2025 (CPA). – Congolese printers were invited on Saturday to migrate towards technological innovations by the Minister in charge of Industry at the closing of the first edition of the Printing Exhibition in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). ‘I invite you to play your part, to stay united, to innovate, because we are in the era of artificial intelligence, in the era of technological innovation, and it is an entire industry that must move in this direction, because as we have all heard, it is even bigger than the mineral industry worldwide’, declared Louis Watum Kabamba, Minister in charge of Industry and Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). ‘If we want to capture a very large part of this global sector, I invite you to work harder, with dignity and innovation’, he added. ‘Believe me, your expectations have not fallen on deaf ears. I have listened to you, the stars are aligned for you, and we are each going to play our part, because in life we have not only rights but also obligations’, he said. He recalled the government’s obligations, in particular that of ensuring peace and security in the country, to which the Head of State is committed through diplomacy on all fronts. But also ‘to create the environment so that you can become super champions by putting in place a tax system, a para-fiscal system, and easy access to financing that suits you so that your talents can flourish’, the Minister concluded.
The challenges facing the printing sector
Sandra Nzolatima, a pioneer in the printing sector and organizer of the show, also highlighted the challenges facing the printing industry, notably the lack of government support and the absence of local production. For his part, Mathieu Tshibumbu Muboyayi, Acting Chief Executive Manager of the National Agency for the Development of Congolese Entrepreneurship (Anadec), emphasized the importance of the show in promoting national entrepreneurship and providing support for project initiators. He said that the printing sector had strong growth potential, capable of generating added value and jobs through local industrialization. Mr Tshibumbu encouraged young people and students to approach Anadec with their ideas, noting that the agency offers concrete support right through to funding, while mentioning the funding mechanisms available through Anadec’s sister structures. The Congolese capital hosted the first Printing Exhibition, from June 4th to 7th, 2025, organized by Ms Sandra Nzolatima. The event brought together professionals, students, project leaders and government representatives to discuss the industrialization of printing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a sector vital to the country’s economic development.