Those "UN and Nato troops" are there for only one purpose: to secure the West's interests. The same goes for those NGOs and so-called "humanitarian" groups.
DRC joins the East African Community bloc
- Thread starter get these nets
- Start date
-
- Tags
- kin & kind
Those "UN and Nato troops" are there for only one purpose: to secure the West's interests. The same goes for those NGOs and so-called "humanitarian" groups.
Frangala
All Star
I made a point that regional integration is not a good idea for multiple reasons. You decided to pick the argument that I made of DRC's 90 million people as a large enough domestic market for companies.
You brought up the fact that commodity prices are global therefore focusing on the domestic aspect of an economy is short sighted. The companies that buy the rights to the supply chain (i.e mining x resource) or that use x resource as in input to a final product (i.e an electric car) are NOT Kenyan, Ugandan, Tanzanian and insert remaining East African country. DRC is exporting its raw minerals with multinationals into global markets without the assistance of its East African neighbors so I fail to see how this would be a game changer in that aspect.
Literal a mining contract is often a joint venture shareholding agreement between the country and some private corporation that has the technology and machinery to exploit resources and none of those companies are East African or African at all (maybe South African). The profit are split up according to the shareholding agreement and/or taxation of the earnings of Western mining multinational. There is no implication of East African neighboring countries.
So I fail to see how regional/economic integration which is set up to benefit member countries of that bloc is useful in the commodities context when we know that the companies that dominate that industry in the production of commodities or the use of commodities to produce a value added final product are foreigners and non-members of that economic regional bloc.
That is my point
Secondly, the example of public health and education are both DOMESTIC policy issues hence yes countries can juggle both since it is within their domestic control. Regional integration is not a domestic issue, it crosses borders especially given the history and the level of state sanctioned aggression/conflict of certain eastern African countries toward DRC (eastern DRC to be specific)
Secondly, African countries and specifically leadership have a reputation of engaging in grandiose projects without delivering even on the basics whether that be food security, national security, local economy (employment or lack thereof). If there is a part of the world that literally needs to take baby steps instead of engaging in larger economic and regional projects, it is Sub-Saharan Africa. I will hold on to that opinion until I am proven wrong
Last edited:
I have not commented on most of the things that you are talking about, I have commented on what I originally bolded and nothing else.
They said that about the Arab states too but look how they created a cartel.
What's stopping Africa from doing the same?
get these nets
Veteran
Breh that shyt broke my heart when I heard what happened some weeks ago.
To me it's a no brainer, I hope they revisit this matter in the near future.
Haiti should also be a member and have access to the funds of the African development bank.
I'm genuinely curious what the northern Arab nations feel about this. What would they gain by including a non-continental African country in their development schemes?
They don't have the comraderie with diasporan black people that subsaharans may possess and these nations have a great deal of say on what goes on at the development bank.
According to the development banks own website, they only included non-African nations in the 80s because those nations were going to add to the money pot. Haiti is not in the same position as Brazil, UAE, or Ireland to add to the AfDB pot. If anything it would dilute the pot.
Furthermore, Haiti is already a borrowing member of the Inter-American development bank making it's access into the AfDB redundant.
Country suffers from historic political instability and deeply entrenched corruption and incompetence from leaders. There is no incentive from leadership to do any social or economic development. Haitian diaspora will continue to break our backs sending remittances and resources , ngos ,charities, and foreign owned companies will continue be the de facto provider of social services , and leaders will continue to hold their hands out for foreign aid.
There is no incentive to develop the country, as long as those groups do the job of the government. This shortsighted and foolish view means that country can offer nothing to any political or economic alliance of nations. Not even a chance of a long term return on investment.
There are Caribbean-African exchanges, MOUs signed, agreements brokered, etc all the time. Based on synergy and how both sides can benefit. Leadership has driven the country into the ground to the point where even our natural advantages (resources, location, connected global diaspora) cannot be used for our benefit or to the benefit of potential allies.
Swahili P'Bitek
Absorbingpovertywithoutlimitations
Hmm..Museveni's speech is just some PR on his part. The mentality of even the same ethnic groups have been greatly shifted due to the colonial borders and the national identities forged as a result. I say this as a person whose ethnic group exists in both Uganda and my country.
DRC joining the EAC is a good thing for us anyways as Kenyans, how the Congolese feel about it might be different however.
DRC joining the EAC is a good thing for us anyways as Kenyans, how the Congolese feel about it might be different however.
get these nets
Veteran
Kinshasa enters shipping business, set to rock EA boats
Sunday May 22 2022
Summary
- The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is banking on the admission of the DR Congo to the East African Community to increase its business market in the region.
- DRC’s new shipping line will also use Tanzanian ports and this could be an added incentive to Dodoma’s latest programme to expand its inland ports.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is entering shipping business with eyes on East Africa’s two biggest ports in Kenya and Tanzania, signalling further intent by the bloc’s newest member to ease its importation channels.
This week, officials from Kinshasa announced they had obtained yard spaces in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam to roll out offices for DR Congo’s new shipping line: The Lignes Maritimes Congolaises (LMC) that will start operations from June.
The decision that came just about a month after the DR Congo was formally admitted into the East African Community reflects the country’s desire to tap into the benefits of being in the trade bloc, where it is now cheaper and easier to import as tariffs are headed for reduction.
The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is banking on the admission of the DR Congo to the East African Community to increase its business market in the region.
LMC, the state-owned shipping line mandated with maritime transport and the operation of marine vessels in DRC, is targeting to channel more import-export cargo through the Port of Mombasa, as well as raise volumes in Dar.
The LMC delegation led by director Banze Nkulu Mulunda and other government officials agreed to open office at the Port of Mombasa to coordinate imports and exports from their country.
China port closures cause panic in global supply chain“After a discussion on operational and logistics issues with KPA container terminal principal operations officer Michael Bokole and his team, we have agreed to start our operations from Mombasa starting next month.
‘‘This will help in creating more jobs and business opportunities not only for DRC but to Kenya,” said Dr Mulunda.
Mr Bokole welcomed the delegation and said it was a big milestone in ensuring the DRC is integrated into the EAC.
“The DRC recently joined the EAC community bolstering trade opportunities among member states who are keen to increase intra-EAC trade and benefit from the common market. Them coming to Mombasa will increase both import and export of goods through the port,” said Mr Bokole.
The Kinshasa team agreed LCM will be responsible for collecting royalties from shipping lines that carry cargo to and from the DRC.
LMC has adequately addressed the issue of storage, traceability and security of its products as the DRC expects to increase its business after joining the EAC in April.
Open for trade
DRC is now expected to deposit the instruments of acceptance with the East African Community secretariat, agreeing to open up its market to other member states for business as it got admitted to the regional bloc.The instruments of acceptance will see the member states trade freely with Kinshasa in line with the Common Market Protocol that allows free movement of goods and services.
Prior to admission, EAC states had to pay tariffs for imports or exports because of external rules that were applicable.
The DRC comes into the bloc with a huge market of 90 million people and the potential to contribute to an expanded market and investment opportunities to boost the EAC common market.
Already, Kinshasa has bilateral and multilateral cooperation arrangements with EAC partner states in various areas, including customs, infrastructure and productive and social sectors as a member of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern African (Comesa), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
In March the EAC Council of Ministers met to “ensure all ground” had been covered and agreed upon by all parties to allow seamless integration of the newest member of the bloc.
Tanzania ports
DRC’s new shipping line will also use Tanzanian ports and this could be an added incentive to Dodoma’s latest programme to expand its inland ports.The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), for example, is expanding the Kasanga port on Lake Tanganyika at a cost of Tsh4 billion ($1.7 million). Kasanga is the second biggest port on Lake Tanganyika after Kigoma.
The Lake Tanganyika Business Summit held in Kigoma last week discussed various measures to speed up movements of goods and people within the Great Lakes Region, mostly to DR Congo.
Officials in Tanzania have also been driving for more markets in DR Congo, holding a business summit with top traders in the DRC last week. The summit attracted business executives and other stakeholders who use the Dar es Salaam Port as a gateway for imports and exports.
Kigoma Regional Commissioner Thobias Andengenye said in a statement that the Lake Tanganyika Investment and Business Summit will further open the Kigoma region for cross-border trade. TPA said in its latest report that other five ports on Lake Tanganyika have been established to handle Congo cargo, while a shorter road has been designed to connect Tanzania and Lubumbashi in Eastern DR Congo through Kasanga Port on Lake Tanganyika.
get these nets
Veteran
DR Congo cancels 14 customs levies in bid to smooth trade
JOHANNESBURG, July 13 (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo’s trade ministry has ordered the cancellation of 14 levies on exports and imports and the reduction of 20 more duties at the borders in a bid to make trading more smooth and stamp out “illegal” taxes.
Africa’s biggest copper producer and the world’s biggest cobalt producer, Congo has battled with lengthy queues of trucks carrying metal at its borders, which mining companies blame on poor infrastructure and inefficient customs systems.
The move aims to “rationalise import and export taxes and reduce costs and delays”, trade minister Jean-Lucien Bussa Tongba wrote in a letter to the prime minister dated July 6 and seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
A tax on cobalt concentrate charged by Lualaba province was among the 14 levies the trade ministry said should be cut. The letter did not specify the rate.
While 20 taxes would be reduced, the trade ministry said 33 duties - charged by 14 different government agencies - would be maintained at the same level.
The tax cuts aim to improve the competitiveness of Congo’s economy and make the country a more attractive place to do business, the letter said. Ministries should be banned from creating duties or taxes that do not refer directly to a law or a prime ministerial decree, it said.
It was not clear when the tax cuts would be implemented. A spokesperson for the Congo’s customs authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment