The Democratic Republic of Congo has officially been admitted as the seventh member of the East African Community during an Extra-Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State held virtually today.
The entry of the populous Central African country to the EAC adds more than 90 million market population to the regional trading bloc.
DRC’s admission was approved at the 19th Extraordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State conducted virtually.
The proposal to admit DRC was presented by the EAC Council of Ministers which held the 48th Extraordinary Council meeting on Friday to put the final touches on the admission plan.
Following the ministers’ meeting, EAC and Regional Affairs Principal Secretary Dr Kevit Desai said all the prerequisite steps had been undertaken to clear the way for the presentation of DRC’s bid to the Heads of State.
“The review mission is over; the negotiations are over. We are on the ninth step, which is basically creating a format for the Summit,” Dr Desai stated.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is the current chair of the bloc which also comprises Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
In a report released by the secretariat on Sunday, EAC Secretary General, Peter Mathuki noted that by DRC joining, the community will open the corridor from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as North to South, hence expanding the economic potential of the region.
DRC shares borders with five of the partner states- Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan.
Seen as the key facilitator of DRC’s admission to the bloc, Kenya – which currently chairs the East African Community has in recent days intensified its investment interests in the populous country with the private sector deploying trade delegations to Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Goma and Mbuji Mayi.
East Africa’s integration is envisioned under four pillars. These are the customs union, the common market, the monetary union, and the political federation.
So far, the bloc has been implementing protocols on a customs union and a common market.
These have helped improve trade and investments in the region since 2006 and boosted country relations.
The entry of DRC to the EAC bloc will prompt the common market of the community/customs union to grow dramatically from 180 million to 270 million people.
Secondly, all of Congo’s raw materials, including the most critical for harnessing clean energy in the era of combating global warming, will suddenly become locally available to the East African countries at their different stages of industrial development.
Citizens of space-constrained EAC member states will be able to grow food in the extensive fertile soils of the Congo that are abundantly watered by nature.
Additionally, free movement will enable hundreds of thousands of our young adults fathered by Ugandan soldiers by Congolese women one and a half to two decades ago to choose whether to complete their growth process/education in their fatherland or stay in their motherland.
As the EAC progresses to a federation, the little matter of $20 billion Uganda owes to Congo, which started as $10 billion following some crazy international court order will automatically die off, also the poorest East African peasant/slum dweller will have mahogany and ebony to make furniture and finishing fittings for their homes.
Further, all seven EAC members can just develop one power dam at Inga Falls to produce all the electricity they will need for all their factories, homes railways, and vehicles as the world automakers speed up the outlawing of fuel-burning vehicles.