KINSHASA, DRC – The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has launched a major diplomatic and economic offensive to anchor lasting peace in the volatile Great Lakes Region through accelerated regional integration, a move with significant implications for Kenya's trade and strategic interests. During a high-level forum in Kinshasa on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, held alongside the 9th ICGLR Summit, the DRC government rallied regional states, development banks, and international partners to back ambitious cross-border infrastructure projects.

Addressing over 250 delegates, DRC Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka stated that sustainable peace is inseparable from concrete investments in infrastructure, trade, and employment. "We must commit ourselves to the path of common convergence so that our differences can be transformed into a force," Suminwa declared, positioning the DRC as a future hub connecting multiple economic blocs, including the East African Community (EAC), which it joined in 2022.

So What for Kenya?

The DRC's integration push, particularly its membership in the EAC, presents a pivotal opportunity for Kenya. The DRC is already Kenya's fastest-growing export market, with Kenyan exports surging 56.04% to KES 8.62 billion in the first quarter of 2024 alone, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. In 2023, total Kenyan exports to the DRC amounted to $189 million. This burgeoning trade relationship, centered on goods like rolled tobacco, iron products, and wheat flour, stands to expand dramatically with improved transport links.

For years, Kenyan businesses, particularly in the banking and logistics sectors, have viewed the DRC's market of nearly 100 million people as a key frontier for growth. The development of efficient trade corridors would directly benefit the Port of Mombasa, cementing its status as a primary gateway to the region and potentially boosting its transit cargo volumes. However, this potential is challenged by competition from Tanzania's Central Corridor, which connects the Port of Dar es Salaam to the same hinterland.

Three Corridors to Reshape a Region

Discussions in Kinshasa centered on three strategic transport corridors designed to break the region's logistical bottlenecks and connect its resource-rich interior to global markets.

• The Lobito Corridor: This project connects the DRC's southern mining provinces and Zambia to the Atlantic port of Lobito in Angola, offering a crucial alternative route for mineral exports.
• The Tanzania–Burundi–DRC Railway: This proposed railway would provide the eastern DRC with direct access to the Indian Ocean via the Port of Dar es Salaam, opening up new trade avenues.
• The DRC–Uganda Road Corridor: Aimed at transforming volatile border areas into zones of economic activity, this road network is vital for improving connectivity with the EAC and, by extension, the Northern Corridor from Mombasa.

The African Development Bank recently underscored the importance of these networks by approving $239 million to complete the final segments of the Mombasa-Eastern DRC trade corridor, a project expected to cut transit times between Mombasa and Kigali from 10 days to just six.

Peace, Politics, and Practical Hurdles

The initiative's success is inextricably linked to the complex security situation in the Great Lakes. During the main ICGLR summit on November 15, incoming chairman and DRC President Félix Tshisekedi stressed his commitment to upholding territorial integrity and rejecting support for armed groups, which continue to destabilize the eastern DRC. The region's chronic instability, poor road conditions, and dilapidated rail systems remain formidable barriers to investment and trade.

Panelists at the economic forum, including representatives from the African Union, European Union, and United Nations, emphasized that private-sector investment and economic diplomacy are central to achieving long-term stability. They called for the harmonization of customs procedures and tax policies among member states to reduce the high cost of logistics, which can account for up to 35% of the value of goods in the region.

Closing the session, DRC Minister of Regional Integration, Floribert Anzuluni, warned against allowing the renewed push to falter. "This must not become a mere talk show with no follow-up," he urged, calling for robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure political commitments translate into tangible progress. For Kenya and the wider region, the stakes are clear: successful economic integration could pave the way for shared prosperity, while failure risks perpetuating a cycle of conflict and missed opportunity.