Admission of DRC to EAC a win for all

Of the resolutions of the recently concluded EAC Head of State summit, the one on speeding up the admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into the bloc was the most outstanding. 

The EAC Summit directed concerned regional ministers to expeditiously undertake negotiations with the DRC in accordance with the bloc’s procedures for admission of new members.

Many people welcome the idea of having DRC as the seventh member of the regional economic community.

In June 2019, President Felix Tshisekedi, in a letter to President Paul Kagame, who was then the EAC Chairperson, stated that his request to join the bloc followed the ever-growing trade between his country and individual EAC member states. 

To put things into context, perhaps more than any other country, it is only the DRC that shares a border with all but one member state, Kenya.

Having the vast natural resource-rich country as part of the Community is therefore an irrefutable point that needed to be formalized to stimulate economic activity in the region.

In as much as DRC will bring a lot on the table, it is also to benefit immensely from the economically stable Community as they too will access a larger market and have their skilled people and business community move freely within the region under existing frameworks such as the Common Market Protocol.

The admission of this vast country will therefore see the removal of the existing trade barriers and allow the development of joint cross border projects in infrastructure and other areas. It will be a major catalyst in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, among other projected developments.

When DRC becomes the seventh member, the bloc will open the corridor from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as North to South, and hence expand the economic potential of the region.

Residents from the current six member states are already warming up to benefit from the free movement of people, goods and services to enhance their businesses. Multinationals are already celebrating as they will profit from the strategic move and see their figures tripling. 

Joining the bloc will also benefit the DRC in the area of security and rural development. 

The EAC – which is the most integrated regional economic bloc on the continent – as an organized regional bloc has established institutions such as the East African Development Bank, the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, and others, which will benefit the new member. The DRC shall also benefit from other regional projects in infrastructure development, health, trade, science and technology, as well as education.

The widened regional market will see the EAC’s GDP grow from the current $193 billion to $240 billion, a good incentive for international and local investors who want to tap into such a huge market that will grow from current 177 million to 260 million people. 

However much it is a win-win deal, a lot of work will have to be done in the harmonization of policies and instruments of the new member state to those of the existing member states. 

Matters pertaining to peace and security, language and legal systems will be among the areas that will be factored in for a strategic way forward as the DRC moves to the last stage of its admission as a member of the bloc.

The transition should, however, not be a major hiccup because the country already has other members such as Rwanda and Burundi with similar historical backgrounds – including colonial ties.

As the Community becomes bigger, it will gradually become an effective player on the international scene.

Member states should fast track regional infrastructure projects, and others, that will see its development dreams as a bloc realized. 

From roads to electricity, gas, and petroleum, only what is done by regional leaders in fast tracking these good projects will determine the success of EAC integration.

The people are ready to move with them.