The Democratic Republic of Congo has officially announced its move to become a member of the East African Community (EAC) on Tuesday in a bid to boost its trade, social cohesion and security.
The official ceremony is to be held virtually followed by a summit to inaugurate EAC’s new member state.
The development becomes viable after DRC was assessed from June 25 to July 5 on its level of compliance with the organization.
Other five member states of the organization sharing border with DRC include Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan.
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As early as early June 2019, Kinshasa had expressed its willingness to join the organization in a letter to Paul Kagame, then-current chair of the EAC Heads of State Summit.
Some outstanding advantages for the DRC are the integration of the east of the country into the common telecommunications space, which will reduce costs with neighboring countries; several administrative facilities and a reduction in charges for the commercial and economic activities of Congolese citizens, as well as facilitating their mobility in the eastern countries.
The DRC is also expected to benefit from reduced tariffs for goods received at the ports of Mombassa (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).
Kinshasa could also benefit from the application of the EAC’s Collective Security Pact, with the assistance of countries such as Kenya and Tanzania, in the fight against several rebels in the central African country.
