With an eye toward regional integration and cross-border trade, Uganda on Monday announced that Congolese nationals would no longer need visas to enter its territory, as of January 1, 2024.

This concludes a process that has been marred by multiple negotiations since the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) joined the East African Community (EAC) in July 2022.

With the waiver, the DRC is now able to enjoy the benefits of the region, including free movement of people among member states as specified in the EAC Common Market Protocol, wherein partner states are required by Article 7(2)d to permit citizens of other partner states to enter without a visa.

Read: Uganda, DRC abolish visa rule

“During the eighth joint permanent commission held on October 11–15, 2023, in Kinshasa, DRC, both parties agreed in principle to waive the visa requirement for citizens of both countries on a reciprocal basis, said Uganda’s Ministry of Internal Affairs in a statement.

“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, it added.

At the East African Entrepreneurship Conference & Expo organised by the Nation Media Group (NMG) in Kinshasa in November, DRC's Information and Communication Minister Patrick Muyaya urged member states to allow DRC nationals to enter their borders because the country is also a member and wants to connect with the region.

The Congolese minister's sentiments were echoed by the Kenyan Ambassador to the DRC Dr George Masafu at the same conference.

"Visas have been barriers to markets, and now borders must become bridges,” the diplomat said.

Read: Stop blocking borders, African leaders told

“We want the 300 million-plus EAC population to become a market, but we need political goodwill.”

Due to their proximity and the economic activities that both countries engage in such as farming, mining, and forestry, Uganda and the DRC have shared ties even before the latter became a member of the EAC bloc in 2021.

DRC is Uganda's top trade surplus market, with main exports including cement, palm oil, rice, sugar, baked goods, and iron materials.

Uganda now seeks to increase its trade surplus with the DRC, which earned it $241 million in 2020, as well as an estimated $177 million in informal trade exports, bringing the total trade earnings to $418 million, according to official trade data.

Along with this, Kampala and Kinshasa are working together to build three road projects inside the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that will facilitate the transportation of perishable goods across borders without incurring losses and provide access to profitable mining concessions in the Congo.

First, a 54-kilometer segment will integrate the Beni-Butebo axis, while the first will travel 80 kilometers from Kasindi to Beni.

The third will travel 89 km, passing through Rutshuru and Goma, before ending in the border town of Bunagana.

Several EAC member states have been opening their borders; Kenya was the last nation to announce open borders before Uganda’s waiver on the DRC.

President Willian Ruto announced last week that Kenya hopes to remove all visa requirements for African nationals by January 2024.

Read: Ruto opens Kenya's doors to the world

This, however, will require electronic travel documentation, which will act as a prerequisite for advance identification.

The member states hope to capitalise on the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which mandates open borders for African companies and entrepreneurs.

The 1.3 billion people living on the continent now have access to a single market thanks to the AfCFTA, which was formed in 2021 and is estimated to be worth $3.4 trillion.

When Somalia fully integrates into the eight-member bloc, it will be waiting for open borders as well.