Democratic Republic of the Congo: Detty Numbi Mbabi

Detty Numbi Mbabi is the founder of Studio D RDC, an architecture and urban planning firm based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (2017–), and a licensed architect with the Ordre National des Architectes du Congo, ONA. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Institut du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics (IBTP) in the DRC, and a master’s degree in town and regional planning from the University of Pretoria in Pretoria, South Africa. Mbabi currently serves as Chairperson of the Association des Femmes Architectes du Congo (AFARC) and as an advisor to the Ministry of Urban Policy in the DRC (2024–). She was also a jury member for the AAK Duracoat Awards of Excellence in Kenya (2022). In 2024, she earned the Prix Congolese Women Excellentia from the Alpha Perla Foundation for her leadership and contributions to urban development.