Kinshasa, February 4th, 2026 (CPA). – The French and Congolese ministers for higher education praised the success of the young talents from the first cohort of the Regional Fashion Institute in Africa (IRMA) in Kinshasa (capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo), according to a document from the French Embassy in the DRC, consulted by the CPA on Wednesday. Alongside the Minister of Higher Education, Universities, Scientific Research and Innovation (ESURSII) Marie-Thérèse Sombo, Éléonore Caroit, Minister Delegate for Europe and Foreign Affairs, responsible for Francophonie, Entrepreneurial Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad, took part on Tuesday in the closing ceremony for the first cohort of the Regional Fashion Institute. On this occasion, they praised the success of this inaugural class, which brought together young talents from the DRC, the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville and Cameroon, » the report said. According to the source, the two ministers also spoke with the nine students, entrepreneurs from this first cohort, who presented the fruits of their labor through a fashion show highlighting waste recycling and sketching the contours of tomorrow’s fashion.
IRMA trains textile entrepreneurs
The official inauguration of IRMA, which will train textile entrepreneurs, took place on September 25th, 2025 at the port of the National Transport Office (Onatra) in Kinshasa. Supported by the Kobo Hub organization and funded by the French Embassy in the DRC, IRMA brings together shared workspaces and workshops, a specialized library, a virtual museum and a permanent exhibition dedicated to Congolese textile heritage, creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem and training entrepreneurs and offering them opportunities. IRMA is a hub for creative and sustainable fashion in Central Africa. It positions itself as a centre of excellence for innovation and development in the textile industry, with a reach extending to local and foreign markets, explained the French diplomat. This regional fashion school offers economic opportunities to Congolese youth, with its vocation to be an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the textile field, by organizing entrepreneurial training courses.