Kinshasa, November 19th, 2025 (CPA). – The importance of integrating entrepreneurship into the basic education curriculum was explained on Wednesday by the Minister of in charge of Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) during the national round table on youth employment and entrepreneurship held in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
« I believe that we all have an educational background that often led even our parents to say, ‘You have to finish your studies, right? And today, the goal is to ensure that, from an early age, as we said yesterday, from an early age, from primary school, we include the ABCs and entrepreneurship in our training program, » said Justin Kalumba Mwana-Ngongo, Minister of Entrepreneurship and SME Development. “We must anticipate the risk of school dropouts. Many parents want their children to finish their studies, but beware, not all studies will be completed,” he added. For Mr. Kalumba Mwana-Ngongo, entrepreneurship training is hugely important.
The Congolese National Agency for Entrepreneurship Development (Anadec) may have all the necessary skills, but it is important to know how to outsource and call on others with specific expertise. “When a child, sometimes even by personal choice, says, ‘I’m leaving’ this system, they must already have the basics of entrepreneurship in their head. We need to look at how we can integrate the entrepreneurship program into our children’s education. This must be done across the country,” he said. However, the minister said that it is essential to provide the recipe for ensuring that, across the country, there are appropriate trainers and incubators for each sector, pointing out that each province has sectors that can be considered promising and that will be there to drive the development of different sectors. “So, it is absolutely necessary to study provincial specialties with appropriate incubators and tailored support. I think you have also thought about this,” he said. According to him, the transition to entrepreneurial constituencies requires competent trainers to guide young people in developing coherent business plans, and it is essential to define a support framework to ensure the success of these entrepreneurial initiatives.
“These are the challenges of organizing and implementing criteria so that we don’t end up with a competition that has no clear winners. So, we are waiting for that,” he concluded.
The national round table on youth employment and entrepreneurship, held in Kinshasa at the People’s Palace marquee, began yesterday and was opened by the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo. On the second day, today, several speakers took the floor, and the final day will take place tomorrow, Thursday, at the People’s Palace marquee.