Uganda and the DR Congo scrap visa requirements for citizens
Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have mutually waived visa requirements, paving the way for visa-free entry for its nationals effective January 1, 2024.
The policy, as communicated in a statement from Uganda's Ministry of Internal Affairs, seeks to strengthen regional integration and promote cross-border trade.
"During the eighth joint permanent commission held in October in Kinshasa, DRC, both parties agreed in principle to waive the visa requirement for citizens of both countries on a reciprocal basis," the statement was quoted by local media Monitor.
"Following the above agreement, Cabinet Minute 374 (CT 2023) considered the matter, and it was resolved to remove the visa requirement for Ugandan and Congolese nationals to enter and exit the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Uganda, respectively,” the statement added.
Starting from January 1, 2024, citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are granted access to enter and exit Uganda without the need for a visa. They can also enjoy the privileges of regional integration, benefiting from the East African Community (EAC) Common Market Protocol, which mandates partner states, under Article 7(2)d, to allow citizens from other partner states to enter without a visa.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Africa Day: The leaders who have carried Africa’s voice
"Visas have been barriers to markets, and now borders must become bridges. We want the 300 million-plus EAC population to become a market, but we need political goodwill," the Kenyan Ambassador said at the East African Entrepreneurship Conference & Expo held in DR Congo, quoted by local media Monitor.
The proximity of the two countries, coupled with shared economic activities such as farming, mining, and forestry, has fostered longstanding ties between Uganda and the DRC, even before DRC's membership in the EAC bloc in 2021.
Being Uganda's primary trade surplus market, the DRC receives main exports, including cement, palm oil, rice, sugar, baked goods, and iron materials.
In 2020, Uganda earned $241 million from its trade surplus with the DRC, with an additional estimated $177 million from informal trade exports, resulting in total trade earnings of $418 million, according to official trade data, quoted by local media Monitor. Now, Uganda aims to boost its trade surplus with the DRC further.
A number of East African Community (EAC) member nations have been progressively announcing their border openings, with Kenya being the most recent country to declare open borders just before Uganda's announcement. These member states aim to leverage the opportunities presented by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which mandates open borders for African businesses and entrepreneurs.
