VERIFICATION OF DRC ADMISSION INTO EAC SET FOR KICK OFF

 

The verification mission for admission of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into the East African Community (EAC) will be launched on Thursday this week (June 24th)

The country's leader President Felix Tshisekedi will officiate the event at the eastern border town of Goma, according to the EAC Secretariat.

The mission is tentatively expected to complete its task and hand over its report to the EAC Council of Ministers - a policy organ of the Community - in November this year.

"The Council would later advise the Summit of Heads of State accordingly on the suitability of admission of the DRC into the Community", said Peter Mathuki, the EAC secretary general.

He disclosed this at the weekend when he paid a courtesy call on the Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Miwnyi at the Isles state house.

He said  the verification mission - to be made of at least three officials from each of the current partner states and others from the EAC secretariat - would be in DRC from June 23rd to July 3rd.

DRC, the largest country in sub Saharan Africa, officially applied to join the EAC in 2019 after the coming into power by President Tshisekedi.

The 21st Ordinary summit of the EAC, hosted by Tanzania in February this year, urged the Arusha-based organ of the Community to expeditiously  address the matter by sending a verification mission.

For a new member to be admitted into the six nation bloc, it must meet certain criteria, among them good governance, rule of law, security aspects as well as potential for economic contribution.

If admitted, the vast DRC will become the seventh member of the Community after the three founders; Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

For some years, Burundi and Rwanda enjoyed  observer status before finally joining  in 2007 to be followed by South Sudan in 2016.

Crisis-torn Federal Republic of Somalia has also officially applied to join the bloc since 2013 while Sudan has also expressed its wish for admission.

With an area of 2.4milion square kilometres and a population of about 180million, EAC is considered one of the fastest growing economic blocs.

Currently it has a combined Gross Domestic Product (purchasing power parity) of $602.5 billion and nominal GDP estimated at $ 220.7 billion. 

The per capita income (PPP) and nominal is pegged at $3,286 and $1,184 respectively.

During the meeting,  President Mwinyi urged the EAC secretariat to continue working closely with partner states to address Non-tariff Barriers (NTBs) that were impeding intra-regional trade.

He also called on EAC to extend regional infrastructure development projects to link Zanzibar to other partner states, especially in the development of ports and marine transport. 

The President of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) Justice Nestor Kayobera, on his part, said that the regional court would retain its independence as it worked closely with both the Secretariat and the Assembly to drive forward the integration agenda.