DR Congo has taken a major step toward becoming the seventh member of the East African Community (EAC) after a summit of the bloc’s Heads of State gave the green light for the final phase of the admission process. In Wednesday’s virtual summit, the leaders threw their weight behind the progress made toward adding the Congo into the regional economic grouping, which includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. With a land mass of 2,344,858 sq.km, DR Congo is Africa’s second largest country and shares borders with all but one EAC partner state. The country, which is one of the wealthiest nations on earth in terms of natural resources, maintains historical trade and economic ties with EAC nations, and its eastern regions mainly rely on East Africa’s Central and Northern Corridors to access international markets. The Congo also shares a lot in common with East African nations, from cultural heritage to languages to a vast array of opportunities and possibilities as well as a myriad of mutual challenges. With a population of more than 92 million people, DR Congo will come with a sizable market for EAC citizens, a major boon for, particularly, the region’s business community. The development comes at a time when Arusha is seeking to inject a new lease of life into the EAC integration effort following years of stagnation on key aspects of the integration agenda. But DR Congo is also coming with a historical baggage of instability and insecurity, which in recent years have largely affected regions that border EAC. While this may be seen as a potential area of concern, security and stability are key aspects of the EAC integration process and the Community would work together to find a lasting solution. In fact, DR Congo’s admission to the bloc could help EAC countries that have for long had security concerns associated with the presence of militia groups in Congo’s east work more closely with Kinshasa to address the problem. Most importantly, this would help tackle a critical insecurity challenge that millions of Congolese citizens have faced for decades and finally see them concentrate on developing themselves and their country. From people-to-people relations and cross-border trade to security and geopolitical problems, DR Congo’s imminent admission to EAC could prove to be an important game changer. As the Summit directed, yesterday, the Council of Ministers should indeed expeditiously undertake negotiations with the Congo with a view to complete the admission process as soon as possible.
