Kinshasa, August 20th, 2026 (CPA).- The Ministry in charge of Culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reaffirmed its commitment to structuring and professionalising the fashion sector during a working meeting held on Wednesday in Kinshasa with a delegation from ‘DRC Fashion Week’, according to a press release received on Thursday by CPA. “A delegation from DRC Fashion Week, led by its co-founder, Benie Nyota, was received in audience on Wednesday, August 19th, 2026, by the Minister in charge of Culture, Arts and Heritage. On this occasion, the Minister has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to support the structuring and professionalization of this sector, notably through the work currently underway on the legal and regulatory frameworks for the cultural and creative industries,” it is read.
According to the source, discussions focused in particular on the outcome of the sixth edition of DRC Fashion Week, held on August 15th in Kinshasa under the theme ‘La Sape: heritage, identity and rebirth’, as well as on the growing role of fashion within the cultural and creative industries ecosystem in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “Bringing together fashion designers, creators and figures from the Sape scene from both banks of the River Congo, this edition highlighted fashion as a space for creativity, the expression of identity and the transmission of heritage, but also as a sector that generates jobs, entrepreneurship and economic value,” the press release has indicated. According to the same source, this initiative aims in particular to promote greater recognition of fashion-related professions, to strengthen the formalisation of their activities and to facilitate their access to funding and investment mechanisms. It also aims, according to the press release, to support the development of a competitive Congolese fashion industry capable of establishing itself in regional and international markets. ‘DRC Fashion Week’ is therefore part of a wider effort to promote and celebrate Congolese designers, highlighting fashion as a sector that is at once cultural, economic and a vehicle for identity.