WHAT NEXT AFTER DR CONGO GETS GREEN LIGHT TO JOIN EAC

Finally, a date has been set for  admission of the seventh member of the East African Community (EAC).

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will join the six nation bloc next Tuesday  should the regional leaders unanimously approve the bid. 

The pronouncement of the admission will be made at the extra meeting of the EAC Heads of State that will be held virtually that day.

"If no country objects,then the standard procedures for admission will follow", an official of the secretariat said on Tuesday.

He said they expected all the six EAC partner states to attend the one-day summit to announce the important decision.

The six states- Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan - were expected to confirm their attendance late on Tuesday. 

As is the procedure, the summit will be preceded by a session of the Council of Ministers, the powerful policy organ of the EAC.

The authoritative organ has since early this year recommended the admission of DRC into the bloc " in accordance with EAC the  Treaty". 

Admission of the new member will be complete once its submitted instruments of ratification to officially become a full member of the bloc. 

The instrument is a document that member countries sign as a requirement when joining the economic Community. 

Apparently, the admission of resource-rich DR Congo into the bloc will be a relief of tireless efforts by the EAC secretary general Peter Mathuki. 

He made the issue his priority when he took over as the sixth CEO of the regional organization in April last year given DR Congo's economic potential.

Dr.Mathuki said on Monday from Nairobi that the six EAC Heads of States will approve DR Congo's application to join the bloc during their March 29th summit. 

"The summit will have only one agenda; the admission of DRC into the EAC", he said. It will be presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta, the current EAC Chair.

Others expected to be in attendance are President Samia Suluhu Hassan (Tanzania), Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (Uganda) Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Evariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi) and Salva Kiir of South Sudan.

• The EAC currently has 193 million citizens. DR Congo’s admission would raise that to 280 million people, spanning the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. This large market is to the benefit of all, for the DRC would be able to buy and sell easily to the rest of East Africa, for the benefit of its people.

• Harnessing of idle resources viable with benefits and no loss for DRC, and the region. For example, a power dam at Inga would supply 60,000MW of clean, renewable energy and forever close the debates and hassle of where or not to build hydroelectric dams in East Africa.

• The mineral resources of DRC and the wider EAC market would make rapid industrialisation of the Congo possible, with skilled manpower from the region also available as a local resource.