On March 29, 2022, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was admitted as the seventh member of the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc based in Arusha, Tanzania, per an EAC announcement. “Admission of the DRC marks a momentous occasion in the region’s integration history,” said EAC Chairman and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta during a virtual summit. The DRC joined Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, expanding the bloc’s market to nearly 300 million people with the DRC’s 90 million citizens.
Strategic and Economic Impact
The EAC, established in 2000 and operating a common market since 2010, promotes free trade and movement by eliminating customs duties. “The EAC now spans from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean,” said Secretary General Peter Mathuki, highlighting enhanced access to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The DRC’s mineral-rich economy and 2.3 million square kilometers increased the bloc’s GDP by 22% and area by 79%, per EAC data. Its 40km Atlantic coastline offered potential trade routes, though poor infrastructure limited immediate benefits, per BBC.
Regional and Geopolitical Context
The DRC, sharing borders with all EAC members except Kenya, applied for membership in 2019 to boost trade and political ties. “We are neighbours with the DRC, but we don’t trade much… because there is no framework,” Mathuki told BBC. The country’s accession followed South Sudan’s 2016 entry and aligned with its membership in SADC, COMESA, and ECCAS, per @King4Real_243 on X. However, ongoing eastern DRC conflicts, with 400 civilian deaths in 2022 (ACLED), posed integration challenges, prompting EAC plans for a regional force, per Crisis Group.
Integration Process and Challenges
The DRC signed the Treaty of Accession on April 8, 2022, and became a full member on July 11 after depositing ratification instruments in Arusha, per EAC. “DRC’s admission… was a fulfillment of the vision of the founding fathers of the African Union,” said Vice Prime Minister Christophe Lutundula, per Geopolitical Monitor. Full integration required aligning with EAC’s Customs Union and Common Market, a process expected to take months, with South Sudan’s four-month transition as precedent. Congolese lawmakers needed to ratify EAC laws to enable visa-free travel and trade benefits, per BBC.
Future Prospects
The DRC’s entry strengthened EAC’s economic potential, with Rwanda and Uganda projected to gain $81 million and $60 million in annual exports, per a 2021 Economic Policy Research Centre study. “Joining the bloc gives DR Congo better access to… ports of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa,” per BBC, reducing import taxes. However, “the country’s road and rail networks would need to be massively upgraded,” Mathuki noted, to link the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The EAC’s focus on trade infrastructure and security, per EAC’s Mathuki, aimed to leverage the DRC’s resources while addressing its instability.
