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By adding DRC, East Africa upgrades into a coast-to-coast trading bloc of 280m people

By Musinguzi Blanshe

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Posted on March 29, 2022 11:45

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta welcomes DRC President Felix Tshisekedi in 2019 (Photo: Twitter)
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta welcomes DRC President Felix Tshisekedi in 2019 (Photo: Twitter)

East African Community (EAC) heads of state approved the entry of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into the regional trade bloc on 29th March. DRC, which becomes the seventh member state, increases the bloc’s market population by about 50% to 280 million, and its geographic size now stretches from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa.

Kenya’s president and EAC chair, Uhuru Kenyatta, said it was a “historic” day, while President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, described DRC’s admission as a “great event of significance.”

DRC shares borders with all EAC member states except Kenya, and the country’s admission process was fast-tracked because of the huge potential for trade.  For example, DRC precious metal exports may enhance trade for the bloc, if it is formalised.

According to the US Treasury, approximately 90% of DRC’s gold is smuggled into Uganda and Rwanda. Meanwhile, Somalia’s application to join the EAC has been pending for over five years.

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