With a view to regional integration and cross-border trade, Uganda announced on Monday that Congolese nationals will no longer need visas to enter its territory from 1 January 2024.
This concludes a process that has been marked by numerous negotiations since the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) joined the East African Community (EAC) in July 2022.
With the waiver, the DRC will now be able to enjoy the benefits of the region, including the free movement of persons between member states, as stipulated in the EAC Common Market Protocol, where Article 7(2)(d) requires partner states to allow citizens of other partner states to enter without a visa.
“During the Eighth Joint Permanent Commission held in Kinshasa, DRC on 11-15 October, both parties agreed in principle to waive visa requirements for citizens of both countries on a reciprocal basis,” Uganda’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement.
“Following the above agreement, Cabinet Minute 374 (CT 2023) considered the matter and decided to lift the visa requirement for Ugandan and Congolese nationals to enter and exit the DRC and the Republic of Uganda respectively,” it added.
Speaking at the East African Entrepreneurship Conference & Expo organised by the Nation Media Group (NMG) in Kinshasa in November, the DRC’s Minister of Information and Communication, Patrick Muyaya, urged member states to allow DRC nationals to enter their borders because the country was also a member and wanted to connect with the region.
The Congolese minister’s sentiments were echoed by Kenya’s ambassador to the DRC, Dr George Masafu, at the same conference.
“Visas have been barriers to markets and now borders must become bridges,” the diplomat said.
“We want the EAC population of over 300 million to become a market, but we need political goodwill.”
Due to their proximity and the economic activities that both countries engage in, such as agriculture, mining and forestry, Uganda and DRC have shared ties even before the latter becomes a member of the EAC bloc in 2021.
The DRC is Uganda’s largest trade surplus market, with major exports including cement, palm oil, rice, sugar, bakery products and iron materials.
Uganda is now looking to increase its trade surplus with the DRC, which is estimated to be worth $241 million in 2020, as well as an estimated $177 million in informal trade exports, bringing total trade earnings to $418 million, according to official trade data.
At the same time, Kampala and Kinshasa are working together on three road projects within the DRC that will facilitate the transport of perishable goods across borders without losses and provide access to lucrative mining concessions in the Congo.
First, a 54-kilometre section will integrate the Beni-Butebo axis, while the second will run 80 kilometres from Kasindi to Beni.
The third will be 89 kilometres long, passing through Rutshuru and Goma before ending at the border town of Bunagana.
Several EAC member states have opened their borders; Kenya was the last nation to announce open borders before Uganda’s waiver on the DRC.
President William Ruto announced last week that Kenya hopes to lift all visa requirements for African nationals by January 2024.
However, this will require electronic travel documents, which will act as a pre-requisite for pre-identification.
Member states hope to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which mandates open borders for African businesses and entrepreneurs.
The 1.3 billion people living on the continent will now have access to a single market, estimated to be worth $3.4 trillion, thanks to the AfCFTA, which will come into force in 2021.
When Somalia is fully integrated into the eight-member bloc, it will also be waiting for open borders.
