April 1, 2022—The East African Community (EAC) Heads of State have admitted the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into the regional bloc becoming the seventh and newest member of the community after the Republic of South Sudan.
DRC’s admission was ratified at the 19th Extraordinary Summit of East Africa Community (EAC) Heads of State conducted virtually on Tuesday 29th, March 2022.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, the current chair of the bloc, welcomed DRC’s admission describing it as “momentous”.
“Admission of the DRC marks a momentous occasion in the region’s integration history!”, Uhuru said.
Other member states that includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, welcomed DRC to the bloc and pledged to support its integration saying it is a sign of prosperity and development to the entire community.
The proposal to admit DRC was presented by the EAC Council of Ministers which held the 48th Extraordinary Council meeting on Friday to put the final signature on the admission process.
Following the ministers’ meeting, EAC and Regional Affairs Principal Secretary Dr. Kevit Desai said all the prerequisite steps had been undertaken to allow the way for the presentation of DRC’s bid to the Heads of State.
The admission of DRC to community will now increase the bloc’s market population by about 50% to 280 million, and its geographic size now stretches from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa.
The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the African Great Lakes region in East Africa : Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The organisation was founded in 1967, collapsed in 1977, and was revived on 7th, July 2000.
