DRC’s $24 trillion resource story is Africa’s biggest opportunity and its toughest test.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo sits on a concentration of natural wealth that few countries can match. Multiple references, including a QNA feature and globalEDGE country notes, cite estimates that the DRC’s untapped raw mineral deposits could be worth more than $24 trillion.

The list is strategic to the world economy: cobalt, copper, coltan, gold, diamonds, and other minerals that power batteries, electronics, and the clean energy transition. The DRC is also central to global cobalt supply, and recent reforms show how fast the conversation is shifting from extraction to traceability and local value. Reuters reported in November 2025 that the DRC produced its first batch of traceable artisanal cobalt through state agency EGC, aiming to clean up the supply chain and meet rising ESG expectations. Reuters

So why does a country this rich remain so poor? Because natural resources do not automatically become national wealth. They become wealth when governance, infrastructure, security, and processing capacity work together.

For founders and executives, the opportunity is in building the bridges that convert resources into productive economies. That includes logistics, compliance tech, ethical sourcing systems, workforce training, power infrastructure, and local processing. An Atlantic Council report highlights the DRC’s vast reserves of critical minerals and the need to capitalise beyond extraction, a message African entrepreneurs should treat as a call to action.

But this story is also a warning. Illicit trade and conflict have long been tied to minerals in the region, and global buyers are tightening standards. You cannot build a world class business on a supply chain the world does not trust.

Pan African Voice believes Africa’s real victory is value addition. The DRC does not need sympathy. It needs systems. The founders who help build those systems will be building some of the most important businesses of the next decade.