Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a member of Southern African Development Community (SADC) and shares borders with five of the six members of the East African Community (EAC). It could potentially become the largest member by area as well as by population and therefore a lucrative market for EAC.

DRC recently requested membership to EAC which would enable dropping of custom barriers and increasing trade between EAC countries. Ministers in charge of EAC Affairs gave a green light report on DRC verification mission for consideration by the EAC Heads of State.

Uganda is a net exporter to DRC with export trade valued at USD 267 million in 2020 compared to its imports at USD 10 million. Uganda therefore has among most considerable trade benefits compared to other member states. Free trade with DRC will increase exports from Uganda by 60.4 million attributed to geographical proximity as well as the high pre-FTA trade between Uganda and DRC.

Read More: https://eprcug.org/publication/how-is-uganda-likely-to-benefit-from-drcs-membership-in-the-eac-bloc/