President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to chair a regional meeting on the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday in Nairobi.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday that Uhuru will host the meeting dubbed the 2nd Heads of State and Government Conclave on the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The government has invited the presidents from other East Africa Community countries including Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. DRC's president Felix Tshisekedi is also set to attend.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform you that the 2nd Heads of State and Government Conclave on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will convene in Nairobi on 21st April 2022 hosted by His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya," the announcement by the foreign ministry read.
"The Heads of State and Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda have been invited to attend."
Uhuru convenes the meeting as the current chairman of the EAC.
The meeting is a follow up to the recent summit at State House in Nairobi that saw DRC sign up to formally join the regional block.
The ceremony was attended by Rwanda's Kagame, Uganda's Museveni and DRC's Tshisekedi.
The move to admit the DRC has been billed as a game-changer in the region as it widens the market in the trading bloc and links to the Pacific Ocean from the Indian Ocean.
It makes the region to be resident to be market with about 300 million people.
“Today as chairman of the EAC, I proudly and warmly welcome our brothers and sisters from the DRC to the EAC and look forward to joining hands in strengthening our community together. Working together, we have more to gain than when we are separate," President Uhuru said at the event.
“Indeed, the combined population and GDP of our community will grow by 50 per cent and 25 per cent respectively, implying a corresponding expansion of the market for goods and services. These numbers imply expanded market opportunities for producers located within EAC under the Customs Union," he added.
Uhuru had said the entry of the DRC was not just beneficial to the community, but also to the country itself.
He said the nation will reap more from the combined resources hence developed infrastructure as well as free movement of people and goods.
“The said infrastructure is crucial in facilitating cross-border movements of goods, people and physical capital as envisaged in the EAC Common Market,” Uhuru said.
