{"id":5355,"date":"2022-03-30T13:56:25","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T13:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=5355"},"modified":"2022-03-30T13:56:29","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T13:56:29","slug":"what-does-it-mean-for-dr-congos-joining-the-east-african-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/what-does-it-mean-for-dr-congos-joining-the-east-african-community\/","title":{"rendered":"WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR DR CONGO\u2019S JOINING THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Our Correspondent  in Arusha<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has  joined the East African Community (EAC) becoming its 7th Partner State but what does it mean for the  now 300 million population strong bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the EAC Secretary General Hon. (Dr.) Peter Mathuki,  the admission of DRC into the EAC comes with increased GDP and expanded market size making EAC a home to about 300 million people, which would be mutually beneficial to the people of both EAC and DRC by providing employment and investment opportunities that come along with this new development.

The EAC now spans from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean making the region competitive and easy to access the larger African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

\u201cWith lower tariffs on goods and the removal of trading restrictions among Partner States, we anticipate that goods and services will move more freely. With a larger market, manufacturers in the EAC, whether large, or SMEs, will benefit from economies of scale, making them increasingly efficient and competitive,\u201d dr. Mathuki explained .

The Secretary General invited the Private Sector to work closely with the Public Sector to tap the benefits of the entry of the central African nation into the bloc.

 Dr. Mathuki said that DRC\u2019s entry also requires integrating the EAC\u2019s trade infrastructure, intermodal connectivity, One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs), and trade systems to reduce trade time and costs, adding that enhancing trade facilitation will enable formal and informal cross-border trade along the region\u2019s transport corridors.

Upon ascension to the Treaty establishing the East African Community and depositing of the instrument of acceptance with the Secretary-General, DRC will join EAC\u2019s cooperation in all the sectors, programmes and activities that promote the four pillars of EAC Integration. Collaboration in these areas will help in achieving the Community\u2019s objectives as set out in Article 5 of the EAC Treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Uganda’s President Museveni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0The Summit of EAC Heads of State at their 19th Ordinary Summit held on Tuesday, 29th March, 2022 admitted DRC following recommendation by the Council of Ministers.

The Chairperson of the Summit, H.E Uhuru Kenyatta, who is also Kenya\u2019s President, informed the meeting that DRC had met all the set criteria for admission as provided for in the Treaty for the establishment of the EAC.

\u201cWe have concluded the regional processes for admitting new members as provided for in our rules of procedure,\u201d said President Kenyatta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAdmitting DRC into EAC is historic for our Community and the African continent at large. It demonstrates the agility of the Community to expand beyond its socio-cultural boundaries to new people and trade-centered partnerships and collaboration, thus increasing trade and investment opportunities for the citizens,\u201d added the Chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

President Kenyatta said that he was looking forward to the DRC signing the Treaty of Accession before the stated date of 14th April, 2022. In his remarks, Uganda\u2019s President, Hon. Yoweri Museveni said that DRC joining the Community was an event of great significance, adding that he had personally been waiting for the last 60 years for DRC to reconnect with EAC.

\u201cDRC has strong historical, social and cultural links with EAC Partner States. It is the onus of the EAC to now work on restoring peace and stability in Eastern DRC, a fete we can achieve by working together,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The Summit took the decision to admit DRC into EAC after adopting the report of the Council of Ministers that had recommended the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcoming his country\u2019s admission into the EAC, DRC President Felix Tshishekedi termed it a historical day for DRC, stating that it paves the way for the harmonization of the country\u2019s policies with those of the EAC.

President Tshishekedi said that DRC was looking forward to increased Intra-EAC trade and reduction of tension amongst the EAC Partner States.

\u201cIt is the desire of DRC to see the creation of a new organ in the EAC that is solely focused on mining, natural resources and energy that will be based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his remarks, Uganda\u2019s President, Hon. Yoweri Museveni said that DRC joining the Community was an event of great significance, adding that he had personally been waiting for the last 60 years for DRC to reconnect with EAC.

\u201cDRC has strong historical, social and cultural links with EAC Partner States. It is the onus of the EAC to now work on restoring peace and stability in Eastern DRC, a fete we can achieve by working together,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On his part, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda hailed the EAC Council of Ministers and the Summit for fast-tracking the entry of DRC into the EAC.

\u201cI call upon EAC Organs and Institutions to accelerate the integration of DRC into the Community. Rwanda is committed to support the process,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the event, Tanzania\u2019s President H.E Samia Suluhu Hassan observed that DRC has a long historical relationship with EAC.

President Samia expressed hope that DRC would ratify the Treaty of Accession to ensure full integration of her people into the bloc and reaffirmed Tanzania\u2019s commitment to the integration process in East Africa. On behalf of Burundi\u2019s President H.E Evariste Ndayishimiye, Vice President Prosper Bazombanza hailed DRC President Felix Tshishekedi for the admission of his country into the Community.

\u201cEAC projects and programmes are vital and their implementation critical for the integration process. As we move towards the Political Federation, we need to strengthen our efforts to protect our borders against terrorism, piracy and other trans-national crimes,\u201d said the VP, as he reiterated Burundi\u2019s commitment to constructively contribute to promoting peace and stability in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on behalf of South Sudan President H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, Hon. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the Minister for Presidential Affairs, hailed the entry of DRC into the EAC.

Hon. Benjamin said that his country had fallen behind in its contributions to EAC due to the prolonged armed conflict in the country and the Covid-19 pandemic.

\u201cThe President has cleared the way for all outstanding contributions to the Community,\u201d said the Minister, even as he praised efforts to employ South Sudanese nationals into EAC Organs and Institutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Our Correspondent  in Arusha The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has  joined the East African Community (EAC) becoming<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eac-regional-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/heads.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1492,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/ten-implications-of-dr-congos-joining-eac\/","url_meta":{"origin":5355,"position":0},"title":"Ten implications of DR Congo\u2019s joining EAC","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"June 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"1.Let us first deal with the big cynical view which was among the first to emerge when news came that the Democratic Republic of Congo has applied to join the East African Community \u2013 that Rwanda\u2019s leadership wants to score a big point by bringing the giant state into the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Foreign International News"","block_context":{"text":"Foreign International News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/foreign-international-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/east-african-flags.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/east-african-flags.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/east-african-flags.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/east-african-flags.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4614,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/dr-congo-finally-cleared-to-join-east-african-community\/","url_meta":{"origin":5355,"position":1},"title":"DR Congo Finally Cleared to Join East African Community","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The East African Council of Ministers has has approved the Democratic Republic of Congo's application to join the East African Community -EAC. 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