East Africa Community (EAC) head of states on Tuesday during a summit meeting have approved and admitted The Democratic Republic of Congo into the bloc as its seventh member.
DR Congo is rich in minerals such as diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, tin, tantalum and lithium. Its untapped deposits of raw minerals are estimated to be worth in excess of U.S. $24 trillion. It will be interesting to see how other East African Countries will benefit from Congo. It will also solidify political ties between the East Africa Countries.
However Congolese who would want to visit other EAC member states- Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda without visa could wait for a period of time before the integration takes place. Congolese lawmakers still have to ratify the EAC laws and regulations before they come into effect.
DR Congo applied for member state in 2019 in a bid to improve relation and trade with other East Africa countries. This will allow the Country to expand their trade ties and opportunities to facilities such as the Indian Ocean port in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.