EAC scorecard: DRC admission a big win, trade rows slow business

Trucks carrying goods at Uganda-Rwanda border post of Cyanika.

Trucks carrying goods at Uganda-Rwanda border post of Cyanika. PHOTO | FILE | NMG

The East African Community (EAC) is expected to expand its membership to seven this year in a landmark development that will see the admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo into the bloc by April.

But while this marks a huge stride in regional integration, several critical issues are still pending, including full implementation of the first EAC’s four pillars; the Customs Union (2005), and the Common Market (2010), Monetary Union and the Political Federation.