Travellers from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will not have to pay for entry visa fees while crossing the common border between the two neighbouring east African countries.
The decision was taken at the weekend during the eighth ordinary session of the Joint Permanent Commission between Uganda and DRC in Kinshasha.
“The two parties recognized that their shared geography, culture and history impose obligations on them, particularly in terms of ongoing dialogue, in the interest of their respective peoples,” the communique said by the two countries said.
“To this end, the two parties agreed to remove entry visa fees on reciprocal bases to facilitate free movement of people,” the statement added.
The communique also said that the parties examined issues relating to military and security cooperation, securing and demarcation of common borders, neutralization of hostile armed groups and the fight against proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
Uganda and DRC national armies are already pursuing Allied Democratic Forces rebels who are hiding in the eastern Congo jungles after being pounded out of Uganda.
The two countries discussed the possible repatriation of refugees, and decentralized cooperation between the decentralized territorial entities of DRC bordering Uganda.
“The two parties discussed cooperation in the fields of trade, taxation, customs transport, agriculture, pollution control in the border zone,” the communique said.
The JPC comes a year after DRC-Uganda business summit was held in both Kinshasha and Goma town in eastern Congo.
After the summit, Odrek Rwabwogo, the chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Export and Industrial Development, proposed that Uganda explores plans of putting up an industrial warehouse in Kinshasa where traders could store their perishable goods safely.
At the same time, Uganda Airlines revealed plans of direct flights from Entebbe International Airport to Goma in eastern DRC to cut the transport costs per kilogram of good by more than half.
Although Uganda Airlines is yet to launch flights to Goma, the news of removing entry visa fees will put a smile on traders’ faces who will have less hustle in dealing with customs officials.