Does ICT Adoption Promote Food Security? Empirical Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Food insecurity is a global challenge, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where population growth, climate change, and economic instability threaten food systems. Information and communication technology (ICT) offers transformative potential to enhance food security through improved markets, information flows, and value chains. Yet empirical studies on ICT’s impact, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), remain scarce despite growing recognition of its importance. This study bridges this gap by investigating the effect of ICT adoption on food security in the DRC, thus contributing to the broader objective of Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). Employing both ordinary least squares estimation and the vector autoregression model, and using time series data spanning from 1983 to 2023, the findings reveal that ICT adoption significantly reduces food insecurity in the DRC. Furthermore, the results show that industrialization, education, and foreign direct investment contribute to food security, while rapid population growth exacerbates food insecurity. Robustness checks confirm the stability of these findings across different estimation techniques and variable specifications. Based on these insights, this study provides evidence-based policy recommendations on how to leverage ICT and complementary economic strategies to enhance food security in the DRC and ensure inclusive and sustainable development.