Ndagijimana Ntaboba, 48, harvests cabbages in his rented field months after returning from the Kanyaruchinya camp where he took refuge following clashes between M23 rebels and the Congolese army, in Kibumba, Nyiragongo territory of North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo April 14, 2025.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is often deemed the richest country in Africa, by natural resources: minerals, timber, natural gas ... and land. Now officials say they must look more into the productivity of agricultural land, seeing it as a way to avoid over-dependence on minerals to support the economy.
The country is betting heavily on the agriculture sector to achieve growth that will help reduce poverty. And according to Julien Paluku, the minister for Foreign Trade, agriculture is the sector that will wean the DRC off dependence on the mining sector.
