What If the DRC's Next Greatest Export Isn't Mined, But Created?

By Lerato Masehela

For decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been recognised for its extraordinary natural resources. Our minerals have shaped industries, powered technological advancement, and positioned the DRC as a strategic player in the global economy.

But what if our next greatest export isn't extracted from beneath the earth?

What if it's created.

A recent visit to the Académie des Beaux-Arts de Kinshasa served as a powerful reminder that some of a nation's most valuable assets are cultivated in classrooms, studios, and workshops. They are developed through imagination, discipline, education, and the courage to create.

For me, this experience was deeply personal.

As an art lover, the daughter of a renowned artist and lecturer, and a qualified creative designer, I've always understood that creativity is more than aesthetics. It is a language of innovation, a driver of economic growth, and a powerful tool for shaping perceptions.

The visit reaffirmed something I have long believed: the creative economy deserves a place alongside mining, agriculture, manufacturing, and technology as a strategic pillar of national development.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is home to exceptional artists, designers, architects, photographers, filmmakers, musicians, fashion designers, and creative entrepreneurs whose work has the potential to compete on the global stage. What many of them lack is not talent, but access to investment, mentorship, professional development, and international markets.

When these opportunities exist, creativity becomes commerce.

Ideas become businesses.

Artists become exporters.

Culture becomes influence.

And nations become brands.

As a brand strategist, I believe that nation branding begins by recognising and investing in people. A country's reputation is not built solely by its natural resources or economic indicators, but by its innovators, creators, entrepreneurs, and storytellers who shape how the world experiences it.

The DRC possesses one of Africa's richest cultural identities. Yet our creative capital remains one of our greatest untapped competitive advantages.

Imagine Congolese fashion showcased at international fashion weeks. Imagine locally designed furniture, architecture, animation, visual arts, films, and digital products reaching global audiences. Imagine Congolese creative brands becoming household names across Africa and beyond.

This is not an impossible vision.

It is an investment opportunity.

It is an economic strategy.

It is a nation-building strategy.

As the world increasingly values intellectual property, digital innovation, design, and creative industries, the Democratic Republic of Congo has an opportunity to diversify its economy by empowering the next generation of creators alongside its traditional industries.

The future of the DRC will not only be built from its natural resources.

It will also be imagined, designed, and created by its people.

Perhaps Congo's next greatest export won't come from a mine.

Perhaps it will come from a studio.