Post-Extractivism and the Crisis of Development: Reimagining the Congo Basin as a Knowledge Economy

The Congo Basin, long perceived as a reservoir of raw materials for global industries, stands at a pivotal moment amid accelerating ecological crises and socio-economic inequalities. This article critically interrogates the limitations of extractivist development models and proposes a post-extractivist, knowledge-based economy rooted in indigenous epistemologies, ecological reciprocity, and epistemic sovereignty. Drawing on pluriversal theory, noesological frameworks, and regenerative innovation paradigms, this study integrates ethnographic data, participatory research, and comparative analyses from the Amazon and Sahel. The findings reveal local innovation ecosystems, indigenous governance models, and emerging socio-technical networks that resist extractivism while articulating new imaginaries for sustainable futures. By centering indigenous voices and situating them within global debates on development, the study advances a radical rethinking of Africa’s developmental trajectories.