Several East African Community (EAC) member states have been progressively opening their borders, with Kenya being the most recent before Uganda’s recent decision regarding the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). With a focus on regional integration and cross-border trade, Uganda declared that starting January 1, 2024, Congolese nationals would no longer require visas to enter Uganda.
This development marks the conclusion of a series of negotiations that began after the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) joined the EAC in July 2022. The waiver allows the DRC to benefit from the region’s advantages, including the free movement of people among member states, as outlined in the EAC Common Market Protocol’s Article 7(2)d, requiring partner states to allow visa-free entry for citizens of other partner states.
During the eighth joint permanent commission in October 2023, both countries reached an agreement in principle to waive the visa requirement on a reciprocal basis. Uganda’s Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that Cabinet Minute 374 (CT 2023) subsequently resolved to remove the visa requirement for citizens of both countries.
At the East African Entrepreneurship Conference & Expo in November, DRC’s Information and Communication Minister, Patrick Muyaya, urged member states to facilitate the entry of DRC nationals, emphasizing the desire to connect with the region. This sentiment was echoed by the Kenyan Ambassador to the DRC, Dr George Masafu.
Acknowledging their historical ties and economic activities, including farming, mining, and forestry, Uganda and the DRC share a strong connection. The DRC is Uganda’s top trade surplus market, with key exports such as cement, palm oil, rice, sugar, baked goods, and iron materials. Uganda aims to boost its trade surplus with the DRC, which amounted to $241 million in 2020, with an additional estimated $177 million in informal trade exports.
In collaboration, Kampala and Kinshasa are working on three road projects inside the DRC to facilitate the transportation of perishable goods and provide access to valuable mining concessions. These projects include a 54-kilometer segment integrating the Beni-Butebo axis, an 80-kilometer route from Kasindi to Beni, and an 89-kilometer route passing through Rutshuru and Goma, ending in the border town of Bunagana.
Other EAC member states, including Kenya, have been opening their borders, with President William Ruto announcing plans to remove all visa requirements for African nationals by January 2024, dependent on electronic travel documentation. The EAC member states aim to leverage the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to capitalize on the open borders mandate for African companies and entrepreneurs, potentially worth $3.4 trillion, benefiting the 1.3 billion people on the continent. Somalia’s full integration into the eight-member bloc will also involve awaiting open borders.
