The Taabwa of Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Taabwa of Democratic Republic of the Congo, numbering approximately 1,260,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a central Bantu ethnic group who live mainly on the southwestern shores of Lake Tanganyika in the Democratric Republic of the Congo. They are an Indigenous people, in the Bantu, Central-South people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Christianity - Roman Catholicism. They primarily speak Taabwa.

Taabwa in Zambia photo
Photo courtesy of Joshua Project. Photo Source: Copyrighted ©️ 2025 International Mission Board-SBC - James Adair Used with permission

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-saharan Africa Peoples
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-South
Primary Language(s): Taabwa (tap)
Primary Religion(s): Christianity - Roman Catholicism
Population: 1,260,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014734
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Taabwa of Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Christianity - Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

%
Christianity - Roman Cath… Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Taabwa
Language Family: Niger-Congo

%
Taabwa Speakers

Media Resources in Taabwa:

Films:

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Bible Resources in Taabwa:

Or check out the Taabwa bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Taabwa

The Taabwa are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Taabwa

The Taabwa are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Taabwa

The Taabwa are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Taabwa of Democratic Republic of the Congo

I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
readIsaiah 42:8

Pray that lost people will turn from worthless idols to worship the one true God, recognizing that He alone is worthy of all glory and praise.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise).
readEphesians 6:1-2

Pray that God will bring young men and women to faith in Jesus and that the fruit of their faith will be a powerful testimony as they honor their parents. 

And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be.”
readGenesis 15:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will trust God to keep His promises.

And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
readLuke 18:29-30

Pray that God will raise up people to go and share the gospel and help them trust His promise that anyone who has left those they treasure for the sake of the kingdom of God will receive many times more in this life and in the life to come.

Tabwa (ROP3 - 109677) reported in the following countries:

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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