Nairobi, Kenya
Arusha, Tanzania,
April 11, 2022 — The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has formally joined the East African Community (EAC) after the signing of the Treaty of the Accession of the DRC into the EAC in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday, April 8, 2022.
The Chairperson of the Summit of the EAC Heads of States, H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta, signed the Treaty of Accession with the President of DRC, H.E. Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, at State House, Nairobi.
The ceremony was attended by the Ugandan, President Yoweri Museveni, and his Rwandan counterpart, President Paul Kagame.
The Democratic Republic of Congo now has up to 29th September, 2022 to undertake internal and constitutional processes to ratify the Treaty and deposit the instruments of ratification with the Secretary General.
In a statement seen by Nyamilepedia, President Kenyatta said that the signing of the Treaty of Accession marks the formal entry of the DRC into the EAC after satisfying all the conditions under Articles 3 and 4 of the Treaty for the establishment of the EAC.
“To get to this point, it has taken strong leadership, commitment to the ideals of the EAC integration agenda and a clear understanding of the shared benefits that come with working together,” said President Kenyatta in a statement obtained by Nyamilepedia.
President Kenyatta said that the region has already began realizing the promise of the EAC including the free movement of people, goods and services across the Community that has boosted trade and strengthened people-to-people ties thereby enabling East Africans to harness the comparative strength of each member state for the benefit of all and to confront and solve problems together.
