By Kudra Maliro
Kambale Makolongo, a Congolese trader, said he felt relieved after the Democratic Republic of Congo joined the East African Community (EAC) as its seventh member.
In 2019, DRC applied for membership in hopes of improving trade and political ties with its East African neighbors.
In March 2022, the membership was approved by the East African Community (EAC), which meant that 90 million people in the DRC would be able to move freely and do business in six other African countries.
It also meant trade would become quicker, simpler and cheaper as the membership meant it would massively expand the territory of the trade bloc.
But a year later, he still pays $45 for a Covid-19 test and $50 for a three-month single-entry visa.
"I make three or four trips between DRC and Uganda that cost me about $300 just for visa payments - if visas are free for us, that $300 could help me do other things," Makolongo told TRT Afrika.
According to official sources within the EAC, the laws and regulations of the EAC still need to be approved by lawmakers in Congo before they can become effective.
As a result, citizens of Congo who want to travel to other EAC member countries without a visa may have to wait for some time until the integration process is completed, which could take several months or up to a year.
A similar process took four months for South Sudan to become a full member of the EAC after acceding to the community treaty in April 2016.
Another trader, Maguy Mundeke, said many drivers coming to Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania are faced with several difficulties, such as queuing for entry visas to the DRC, waiting several days for their goods to be cleared at the border, and incurring considerable parking and storage costs, among others.
"My goods are spending several days at the border waiting for clearance, so if we were already free to cross, it could be very easy for me but also lower the selling costs of my products in DRC," Mundeke told TRT Afrika.
Many Congolese interviewed by TRT Afrika also hope to see the Community of East African States embrace the French language as the community's language to make it easy for French speakers in DRC to integrate.
Integrating such a large and chaotic country like the DRC into the rest of the EAC is a challenging task.
The poor infrastructure and security situation in the country are of particular concern to the other EAC partner states.
According to trade experts, the infrastructure at the border posts entering the DRC is insufficient and pales in comparison to that of other countries.
The corridors leading to major towns in the DRC also require significant improvements, as the roads are in very poor condition.
Additionally, there are concerns regarding insecurity in the country.
In an interview with TRT Afrika, Professor Solomon Asimwe, an analyst of security and political affairs in Africa, said East African countries are using new, more sophisticated identity cards for border crossings that the DRC has not yet implemented, so Congolese will still have to wait before they are allowed to travel without paying visa fees.
"My fear is that other countries are afraid of the security situation in the DRC because there is still instability,” Professor Asimwe told TRT Afrika.
“In my opinion, the accession of the DRC to the East African States was hasty because the DRC must first address some internal problems such as insecurity, freedom of expression, corruption, and democracy.”
