BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) bid to join the East African Community (EAC) is in an advanced stage.
The EAC Council of Ministers, a policy organ of the Community, will meet later this month to examine fine details of the application.
Sources close to the Secretariat said a report on the country's eligibility into the bloc would be scrutinized for approval.
Thereafter, it would be forwarded to the Heads of State Summit, the EAC supreme organ,which has powers to admit a new member.
"The verification report is ready and positive", a source said,noting that it will be discussed in a ministerial meeting at a date yet to be determined.
DRC, the resource-rich country in the heart of Africa, applied to join the EAC in early 2019 soon after the coming into power of President Felix Tshisekedi.
The matter emerged during the last summit on February 27th this year during which the regional leaders gave a nod to kick start the process.
It directed the Council of Ministers to expeditiously undertake a verification mission to the country which was done from June 23rd to July 3rd.
The key admission criteria of any country to the EAC include the applicant's human rights record, rule of law and proximity to the bloc.
However, an equally critical consideration is the new member's economic potential for the bloc now comprising Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan.
Admission will be considered on the basis of maintenance of market-driven economy and socio-economic policies which are compatible with those of the EAC.
Business analysts are urging for fast-tracking of DRC's admission into the bloc in order to tap the economic potential of the vast country.
"The country (DRC) is already an important trading partner of a number of EAC countries. It offers a large market for small and medium enterprises", said one of them
A study conducted by the East African Business Council (EABC) last year indicated that EAC exports to the DRC for 2018 stood at $855.4million.
DR Congo,nearly the same geographical size
of all the six Community member countries combined,is also a home to vast mineral resources.
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