Senior officials from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) concluded a three-day high-level summit on Friday, aiming to harness booming bilateral trade as a stabilizing force in the historically volatile borderlands.
The talks, held from February 18 to 20 at the Mpondwe/Kasindi border post, come at a critical moment for both nations.
Since the DRC joined the East African Community in 2022, Uganda’s western neighbor has become its top African export destination, with total trade—formal and informal—surpassing $962 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Leading the delegations were Farid Kaliisa, Uganda’s ambassador to the DRC, and Divisional Commissioner Karawa de Ngamo Louis Segond, vice governor of North Kivu Province. In a joint statement, the officials emphasized transforming the frontier from a historical flashpoint into a “bridge” for mutual economic growth.
The summit prioritized the region’s economic interdependence. Vice Governor Karawa described Uganda as a vital lifeline for eastern Congo, supplying essential goods, agricultural produce, and construction materials crucial for the province’s recovery. According to the Bank of Uganda, formal exports to the DRC grew 29 percent year-on-year, reaching $542.74 million in the last fiscal year.
To sustain this momentum, the delegations agreed to institutionalize security and customs coordination. Technical teams were tasked with establishing a Joint Border Operations Committee by May 2026, aimed at harmonizing customs systems and conducting regular joint patrols.
Security cooperation remains central to bilateral ties. Officials lauded ongoing collaboration between the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC), highlighting joint operations that are stabilizing border regions.
Diplomatic challenges persist regarding the free movement of people. Ugandan representatives pressed for reciprocal visa waivers for their nationals, noting that while Uganda lifted visa requirements for Congolese citizens in January 2024, the DRC has yet to respond in kind.
The summit also addressed the sustainable management of shared resources. Delegates adopted a roadmap for the Lakes Edward and Albert Fisheries and Aquatic Organization, which includes modern surveillance equipment to monitor the lakes’ shared waters.
The meeting follows frameworks established in the eighth Uganda-DRC Joint Permanent Commission and last year’s business forum in Butembo, reinforcing long-term economic and security collaboration between the two neighbors.
