Artificial Intelligence as a Strategic Driver of Economic Diversification in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Evidence from Youth in the Informal Economy

This article examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can contribute to economic diversification in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with a focus on youth in the informal economy. Based on 125 semi-structured interviews in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, and Goma—supported by documentary analysis and a SWOT assessment—the study analyzes the institutional, infrastructural, and socio-economic conditions shaping AI adoption. Findings show that diffusion remains limited by weak digital and energy infrastructure, fragmented governance, and shortages of technical skills (World Bank, 2023; OECD, 2023; ILO, 2024). Yet youth-driven, bottom-up innovation is fostering digital micro-entrepreneurship, generating early forms of economic formalization and new avenues for diversification in urban informal markets.To interpret these patterns, the study applies a four-pillar analytical model—infrastructure, governance, skills, and innovation—grounded in ICT4D scholarship (Heeks, 2022), socio-technical systems theory (Avgerou, 2008), and the capability approach (Sen, 1999; Alkire, 2002). Results show that AI uptake in the DRC is neither technologically deterministic nor solely institutionally led, but shaped by hybrid interactions between informal innovation cultures and weak formal structures. Achieving sustainable AI-enabled diversification will require targeted investments in infrastructure, coherent and ethical governance (UNESCO, 2022; Gwagwa, 2024), and inclusive skills ecosystems that connect grassroots creativity with national digital-transformation strategies.The article concludes with a strategic action framework to support policymakers and development partners in designing equitable, context-responsive AI ecosystems in fragile and highly informal environments, offering insights relevant not only to the DRC but to other low-resource settings in Sub-Saharan Africa.