EAC Ministers endorse inclusion of DRC

The DRC has been endorsed by the Council of Ministers to join the East African Community (EAC) as the seventh member state. A Business Daily Africa report notes that the EAC Council of Ministers, chaired by Kenya’s EAC Affairs and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed, gave its approval during an extraordinary meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, last week. An EAC team visited DRC from 26 June to 5 July to verify the country’s level of conformity to the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC. ‘DRC shares borders with five of the EAC partner states; namely Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan,’ says the report tabled by the Council of Ministers. ‘There is a sense of belonging and attachment to EAC socially, economically, historically, culturally and geographically.’ The report observed, among other things, the institutional and legal frameworks, policies, projects and programmes, areas of co-operation with the other EAC partner states and DRC’s expectations from her membership to the EAC. The final decision will now be made by the EAC Heads of State at a summit.