How DR Congo admission to EAC will expand bloc
DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi. The Democratic Republic of Congo is set to become the seventh member of the bloc
What you need to know:
- EAC 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.
Arusha. The East African Community (EAC) will undergo massive expansion after today’s Heads of State Summit.
The vast Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is set to become the seventh partner state in the bloc.
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.
The admission is expected to be pronounced today during an extraordinary EAC Heads of State Summit to be held virtually.
The summit will be broadcast live on the EAC website, and other EAC social media platforms.
In recent years, EAC summits have largely been low-key affairs.
Reasons include the outbreak of Covid-19, which prompted regional leaders to opt for online meetings.
Several summits on the calendar have been postponed, or cancelled for various reasons.
Today’s summit will be the fourth consecutive meeting to be held virtually even with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
Admission of a new member in particular would normally be graced by the physical presence of heads of state.
A short statement released by the EAC yesterday did not give details on the timeline of DRC’s admission after today’s summit.
The anticipated pronouncement means that the DRC will join Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan in the regional bloc.
However, formal admission is effected once a new member has deposited instruments of acceptance of the terms of admission.
Other sources intimated that the DRC’s parliament may be required to ratify the decision to join the bloc.
That could take up to six months, or must be done within six months after the official pronouncement today.
The DRC formally applied to join the EAC in June 2019, a few months after President Felix Tshisekedi came into office. The country has since gone through various stages, including the EAC sending verification teams to assess its readiness.
“What follows now will be eventual official admission and the ultimate deposition of the instrument of acceptance,” said EAC secretary-general Peter Mathuki.
