Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have signed a bilateral trade facilitation agreement in Dar es Salaam aimed at easing cross-border commerce, boosting exports, and reducing logistics costs along the Central Corridor.
The pact was signed by Tanzanian Minister of Industry and Trade Judith Kapinga and DRC Minister of Foreign Trade Julien Paluku Kahongya. Priority areas outlined under the agreement include joint infrastructure development, export facilitation, cross-border trade, and the creation of a joint trade committee to address operational bottlenecks.
Speaking on Rise and Shine program, Kenya-based media expert and Team Leader at Grassroots Journalism Dennis Beru highlighted the economic significance of the accord, noting that the DRC relies heavily on the Port of Dar es Salaam to route its mineral exports and general imports to global markets.
Beru pointed out that despite persistent security challenges and conflict in eastern DRC, Kinshasa is actively seeking strategic regional partnerships to keep commercial corridors open. He added that streamlining port operations and cross-border customs under this new framework is expected to lower transportation costs and accelerate cargo movement between the two neighboring nations.
–ChannelAfrica–
