The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister of Digital Economy, Augustin Kibassa Maliba, has held talks with senior executives from Chinese technology giants Alibaba Group and Isoftstone Corporation to explore the development of a Chinese-style e-commerce model in the country.
The discussions took place during the China-Africa Economic, Trade, and Cultural Cooperation Forum in Jinhua, China, on November 7, 2025.
According to the Ministry of Digital Economy, the meeting focused on understanding China’s successful e-commerce structure and how it could be tailored to suit the Congolese market.
The talks addressed key areas such as regulation, technology infrastructure, and the establishment of a strong digital ecosystem to support online trade.
Don’t Miss This:
Morocco’s Justyol Raises $1 Million To Drive Regional E-Commerce Growth, Sets Sights On Series A
Following the discussions, all parties agreed to create a joint working group that will further assess the initiative and produce concrete proposals for advancing e-commerce in the DRC.
The ministry noted that a series of technical meetings will be held in the coming days to finalize a strategic report for Minister Kibassa.
This report will serve as the foundation for a national e-commerce strategy aimed at building a simple and accessible model, particularly designed to empower young Congolese entrepreneurs.
Alibaba Group, founded by Jack Ma in 1999, reaffirmed its commitment to expanding in Africa and identified the DRC as a promising hub for its continental operations, as seen on Ecofin Agency.
The company runs several leading platforms, including Alibaba.com, Taobao, Tmall, AliExpress, and Alipay, an interconnected ecosystem covering online retail, digital finance, cloud computing, logistics, and entertainment.
Isoftstone Group, founded in 2001, specializes in digital transformation and information technology solutions.
The company provides services in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, and smart city development for governments and enterprises across multiple sectors such as telecommunications, energy, transport, finance, and healthcare.
Don’t Miss This:
China Deepens Its Critical Mineral Dominance With $1.08 Billion Copper Mine Investment In The DRC
Image Credit: Agence Ecofin
