Congo P-98 P-98A 100 Francs—04.01.2022—Ser. MF—UNC—Elephant—Hydro. Dam

A vivid snapshot of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's natural grandeur and industrial ambition — the African Bush Elephant on one side, the mighty Inga II hydroelectric dam on the other.

Front

• Colors:
  • Background: light green, teal
  • Dominant engraving: dark blue/black
  • Accents: gray, white
• African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) at Virunga National Park
• BCC logo (Banque Centrale du Congo monogram)
• Serial number: prefix MC (example: MC 7552180 J)
• Date: 04.01.2022
• Lettering: BANQUE CENTRALE DU CONGO / CENT FRANCS (Latin script)
• Signatures: Marie-France Malangu Kabedi Mbuyi, Gov.

Back

• Colors:
  • Background: light blue-green, teal
  • Dominant engraving: dark blue/black
• High voltage power transmission tower and lines
• Inga II hydroelectric dam and power station (labeled BARRAGE D’INGA II) on the Congo River
• Lettering: BANQUE CENTRALE DU CONGO / ONE HUNDRED / MIA MOJA (Latin script)

Other Characteristics

• Varieties: You may receive any variety:
  • P-98a (2007, JCMM, Hôtel des Monnaies, Prefix MA–MD)
  • P-98A (2007, JCMM, G&D, Prefix MA–MB)
  • P-98b (2013, DMMN, Hôtel des Monnaies, Prefix MD)
  • TBB B320d (2013, DMMN, G&D, Prefix ME)
  • TBB B320e (2022, MFMKM, Hôtel des Monnaies, Prefix ME)
  • TBB B320f (2022, MFMKM, Oberthur, Prefix ME–MF) — this note
• Catalog numbers: P-98; TBB B320f; Numista N#203249
• Watermark: Okapi head
• Composition: Paper
• Size: 151 × 70 mm
• Issuing entity: Central Bank of the Congo (Banque Centrale du Congo)
• Printer: Oberthur Fiduciaire, France
• Signatures: Marie-France Malangu Kabedi Mbuyi, Gov.
• Currency: Congolese Franc (1998–date)

The Elephant in the Room — and It's Magnificent

The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest land animal on Earth, and the DRC is home to one of Africa's most important remaining populations. The setting — Virunga National Park — is Africa's oldest national park, established in 1925 by Belgian colonial authorities, and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It shelters not only elephants but also mountain gorillas, hippos, and okapis (the latter also appearing as the watermark on this very note). Virunga has been a flashpoint of conflict for decades — rangers have died defending it — making the elephant's serene portrait on this note all the more poignant.

Powering a Continent — On Paper, At Least

The reverse features the Inga II dam, part of the Inga hydroelectric complex on the Congo River — the deepest river in the world and the second largest by discharge. Inga II came online in 1982 and has a capacity of 1,424 MW. The Congo River's total hydroelectric potential is estimated at 100,000 MW — enough to power all of sub-Saharan Africa. The long-dreamed-of Grand Inga Dam, which would be the world's largest power station, has been planned, stalled, and revived repeatedly. The high-voltage lines on this note represent both real infrastructure and an aspirational future that the DRC has yet to fully realize.

The Okapi: Congo's Secret Weapon

The watermark — an okapi head — is one of the most distinctive security features on any African banknote. The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is found only in the DRC's Ituri Rainforest and was unknown to Western science until 1901. It looks like a cross between a zebra and a giraffe — and is, in fact, the giraffe's only living relative. The DRC is the only country in the world where okapis exist in the wild, making it a powerful national symbol.

Own This Note

Own this note and hold three of the Congo's most iconic symbols in your hands: the world's largest land animal, the world's most powerful river, and the world's most elusive forest creature — all on a single piece of paper currency from one of Africa's most complex and fascinating nations.

About the Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Origin of name: Named after the Congo River, itself derived from the Kongo Kingdom (14th–19th century); "Kongo" may derive from a Bantu word meaning "hunter" or from the name of a founding ancestor
• Capital: Kinshasa (city pop. ~17 million; metro pop. ~17 million — one of Africa's largest cities)
  • Origin of name: From the village of Kinshasa, a Humbu settlement; formerly called Léopoldville (1881–1966) after King Leopold II of Belgium
• Population: ~105 million (UN 2023) — roughly equivalent to Ethiopia or the Philippines
• Area: 2,344,858 km² (905,354 mi²) — slightly larger than Western Europe; the second-largest country in Africa
• GDP per capita (PPP): ~$1,600 (IMF 2023) — among the lowest in the world
• Main exports: Cobalt, copper, coltan, gold, diamonds, crude oil, timber
• Borders: Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola
• Official/spoken languages: French (official); Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba (national languages)
• Ethnicities: Over 200 ethnic groups, including Mongo, Luba, Kongo, Mangbetu, and Azande
• Memberships: United Nations (1960); African Union (2002); Southern African Development Community (SADC, 1997); Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS, 1983); Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
• Sovereignty:
  • Pre-colonial kingdoms: Kongo, Luba, Lunda empires
  • Congo Free State (1885–1908) — personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium; site of one of history's worst colonial atrocities
  • Belgian Congo (1908–1960)
  • Republic of the Congo / Zaire (1960–1997)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997–date) — this note issued during this period

Democratic Republic of the Congo Unfiltered

• Cobalt superpower: The DRC holds an estimated 70% of the world's cobalt reserves — the key mineral in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones. The country is simultaneously one of the poorest on Earth and one of the most strategically critical.
• Leopold's ghost: Under King Leopold II's Congo Free State (1885–1908), an estimated 10 million Congolese died from violence, starvation, and disease — one of the deadliest colonial episodes in history. Rubber quotas were enforced by cutting off hands.
• Perpetual conflict: The eastern DRC has been in near-continuous armed conflict since the 1994 Rwandan genocide spilled across the border. Over 6 million people have died in related conflicts since 1996 — the deadliest war since World War II.
• The Congo River flows in a loop: The river is so large it actually crosses the equator twice, giving the DRC a uniquely stable year-round water supply.
• Kinshasa and Brazzaville are the world's closest pair of capital cities — separated by only about 4 km of the Congo River, yet in two entirely different countries.
• Okapi discovery: The okapi was the last large mammal to be described by Western science (1901) — hiding in plain sight in the Ituri Rainforest for millennia.