A Blockchain-Based Framework for Secure and Immutable Diploma Verification in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC

Abstract

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), diploma fraud and document forgery remain significant challenges, undermining trust in educational credentials and creating barriers for graduates in both local and international job markets. Traditional manual verification processes are often slow, opaque, and prone to manipulation. This research proposes a novel blockchain-based framework to ensure secure, immutable, and transparent verification of academic diplomas in the DRC. By leveraging the decentralized and tamper-proof nature of blockchain technology, the system guarantees the integrity and authenticity of issued diplomas, thereby eliminating reliance on fragile paper records and reducing administrative bottlenecks. The framework integrates smart contracts to automate verification requests and responses, ensuring that only authorized institutions can issue and validate academic credentials. The proposed architecture employs a permissioned blockchain, tailored to meet privacy and scalability requirements within the Congolese higher education context. Through rigorous system modeling and a prototype developed in Python, the research demonstrates how diploma issuance, storage, and verification can be seamlessly managed on a distributed ledger. Performance evaluations show the system’s resilience against common security threats such as data tampering and unauthorized access. The framework also offers substantial cost and time savings over legacy systems. Furthermore, fostering trust among employers, educational institutions, and graduates contributes to improving the overall quality and competitiveness of the Congolese workforce. This study not only addresses the pressing issue of credential fraud in the DRC but also serves as a blueprint for other developing countries grappling with similar challenges. Future work includes integrating decentralized identity (DID) standards and exploring interoperability with international credential verification platforms to broaden the system’s applicability and impact.