DR Congo officially admitted to the East African Community

Dar es Salaam. The East African Community (EAC) Heads of State meeting has on Tuesday March 29, officially admitted the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into the bloc.  
The admission was announced today during an 19th Extra-Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State that held virtually.

The Democratic Republic of Congo becomes the regional bloc's seventh member.
While addressing the EAC Heads of State Summit, President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is the chairperson of the Summit, said the admission of the DRC to the EAC will enable the community to achieve much needed development based on the economies of large scale.

“Today, 29th, is a historic day in the history of the EAC as we admit the DRC into the EAC. We have already considered and agreed in our closed session and the Summit has taken the decision to admit the DRC into the EAC,” said President Kenyatta.

“The admission of the DRC into EAC is historic not only for our countries but our continent at large.”

“For people who are looking for prosperity, this is a very important issue. We welcome the DRC into the EAC,” said President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.

“We now need to work on peace in the Eastern Congo, because that part of the region has been having problems for some time.”

“I congratulate our brothers and sisters from the DRC and welcome them into the EAC. I urge all the institutions of the EAC to accelerate the admission of the DRC processes in accordance with the Treaty and our rules of admission,” said President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.

“It is our expectation that the DRC will ratify the admission on time to allow the community to benefit from the integration,” said President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

"Coming together will benefit the community to achieve its integration agenda," said VP Bagombanza of Burundi.

The summit to admit the DRC was attended by President Samia Suluhu Hasan (Tanzania), President Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), , Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Vice President Prosper Bagombanza (Burundi), Minister in the Office of the President Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin (South Sudan), and the DRC President Felix  Tshisekedi.
Its admission will more than double the EAC’s land size to 4.7 million square kilometres from the current 2.4 million square kilometres.
Its population will rise to 275 million from 183 million, which is the current total population of the existing six partner states.
This will make EAC one of the largest trading blocs in Africa, opening a corridor from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic coast. While the EAC has a combined nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $220 billion, the DRC’s GDP is $46 billion.

Addotion Report by The East African