In a bid to boost its trade, social cohesion, and security the Democratic Republic of Congo has officially joined the East African Community on Tuesday after negotiations with the regional body.
The announcement was confirmed on the verified page of the East African Community on Twitter.
“HISTORY IS MADE! EAC Heads of State OFFICIALLY admit the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into the East African Community. H.E Uhuru Kenyatta,Chair of the Summit of EAC Heads of States announces during the 19th Extra-Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State” . The tweet reads.
The official ceremony was held virtually after EAC heads of state had convened an extraordinary summit to consider the admission of the DRC into the organisation. The summit also considered the EAC Council of Ministers’ report on negotiations between the DRC and EAC, which have been ongoing for some time.
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six (6) Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The body has seven organs The Summit, The Council of Ministers, The Co-ordinating Committee, Sectoral Committees, The East African Court of Justice, The East African Legislative Assembly, and The Secretariat
Several EAC countries are among the DRC’s main African trading partners. It is also expected that the new membership will afford DRC reduced tariffs for goods received at the ports of Mombassa (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).
Among the 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.