On March 22 and 23, ELAN RDC attended the first edition of the Kinshasa Digital Week, an event to connect the main actors of the digital ecosystem in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The event, which included a start-up competition, brought together businesses and entrepreneurs to discuss the current Congolese business and tech environments, their challenges, and strategies to foster Kinshasa's tech ecosystem. The vibrant forum connected national and international actors and resulted in productive discussions on how to best address the challenges.
One of the event’s clear takeaways, is that quality training and support for young entrepreneurs are necessary for the ecosystem to further develop. Through promoting sustainable and inclusive economic development, ELAN RDC has already begun addressing these takeaways through its support of Solvay Business School and Ingenious City. Solvay is carrying out an analysis of the digital technology training needs for businesses in DRC. Ingenious City, opening in May, is a space in Kinshasa where business incubators will provide tailored training and mentoring to help entrepreneurs build scalable businesses that solve real problems. Ingenious City will provide a space where entrepreneurs can learn and work together, receive training and mentoring, access office services and connect with other like-minded people, all under one roof.
ELAN will publish Solvay’s report on the digital technology training needs for businesses in DRC when the final version is ready.
For more on Ingenious City, check out their website: http://ingeniouscity.com/