DRC-Uganda: the 9th Joint Commission approves draft sectorial agreements

Kinshasa, May 10^th, 2026 (CPA). – Several draft sectorial agreements between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda have been approved on Sunday in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, at the closing of the 9^th session of the Joint Standing Committee, held from May 8^th to 10^th, 2026; it was learned from official sources. “The closing ceremony of the 9th session of the Uganda–Democratic Republic of the Congo Joint Standing Committee (JSC), held from May 8^th to 10^th, 2026, in Kampala, has been marked by the signing of several bilateral memoranda of understanding, crowning three days of intensive work between the delegations of the two countries. This ministerial session has enabled both parties to reaffirm their shared commitment to strengthen the bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of security, cross-border trade, regional infrastructure and economic integration, as part of a drive for enhanced cooperation in the interests of both peoples,” it is read in the statement from DRC’s Ministry in charge of Foreign Affairs. For the head of the Congolese delegation, Therese Kayikwamba, Minister of State in charge of Foreign Affairs, these memoranda of understanding are the result of sustained dynamic efforts and sincere political will. “DRC is signing them with the firm determination to implement them, because our people are no longer waiting for promises. They are waiting for concrete results on the ground. The large-scale presence of the Congolese Government here in Kampala speaks louder than any speech about the seriousness with which DRC approaches this cooperation,” she has said. For his part, her Ugandan counterpart has affirmed that what has been signed was not merely words on paper, but rather bridges between peoples and roads towards a prosperity built together. “What we are signing today is not just ink on paper. These are bridges between our peoples, paths towards a prosperity that we are building together. Uganda approaches this agreement in the spirit of Ubuntu: we are not here merely as neighbours, but as partners who have chosen one another and made a commitment,” he has declared. According to the press release, the instruments signed cover strategic areas, including tourism, information and communication technologies, trade cooperation and export promotion, one-stop border posts, trade standardisation, culture and heritage, youth, public administration, as well as search and rescue in the field of civil aviation. The next session of the Joint Standing Committee is scheduled to take place in Kinshasa in May 2028. Fifteen Congolese ministers have attended the closing ceremony, which sends a strong signal of Kinshasa’s determination to breathe new life into bilateral cooperation. ACP/