The flags of EAC member states including Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda. FILE PHOTO | NMG After the virtual 18th Extra-Ordinary Summit on Wednesday, Heads of State said they had authorised ministers to conduct another round of talks with DRC on how it can be admitted into the bloc.
The entry of DRC was thought to be done and dusted when, last month, the Council of Ministers said they had completed verification and recommended admission.
The DRC will also have to give timelines on accession to the Customs Union and Common Market protocols which includes the One Network Area that allows mobile phone users to receive calls for free even when roaming in the region, as well as make calls on roaming at subsidised rates.
Admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into the East African Community (EAC) will take a while longer after Heads of State and government in the region directed further negotiation to harmonise rules.
After the virtual 18th Extra-Ordinary Summit on Wednesday, Heads of State said they had authorised ministers to conduct another round of talks with DRC on how it can be admitted into the bloc.
“The summit received and considered the report of the council on the verification mission on the admission of the DRC to join the East African Community and directed the council to expeditiously commence and conclude negotiations with DRC for admission…and report to the next summit,” the bloc said in a communiqué after the meeting chaired by Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The entry of DRC was thought to be done and dusted when, last month, the Council of Ministers said they had completed verification and recommended admission. The EAC Council of Ministers, chaired by Adan Mohamed, Kenya’s EAC Affairs and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary, gave the nod during an extraordinary meeting on November 22 in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Ministers were in DRC between June 26 and July 5 to verify the country’s level of conformity to the Treaty for Establishment of the EAC. Their recommendation meant that the central African country would be the seventh member of the bloc after Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and South Sudan. Strategic partner
All current members except Kenya share a border with DRC, making it a geographically strategic partner.
The country, which could become the largest member by area as well as by population (80 million), is seen as a lucrative market for Kenyan businesses.
Kenyan […]
