The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was Tanzania's top export destination within the East African Community (EAC) in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. The revelation comes from the latest report of the Central Bank of Tanzania (BoT). The Apex bank reports that the DRC imported $306.8 million worth of goods from Tanzania, up 22.4% year-on-year. 

The DRC took over Kenya which purchased $288.8 million worth of goods from Tanzania in 2022-2023, against $449.2 million the year before.

In 2022-2023, the DRC absorbed 23.6% of Tanzania’s goods exports to the EAC. Worldwide, President Tshisekedi’s country was Tanzania's sixth-largest export market over the period under review. It came behind India, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, and China.

While the BoT did not explain why Tanzania’s exports to the DRC surged, analysts suggest that non-tariff barriers on agricultural products have affected trade with Kenya, previously its top buyer in the EAC. 

However, Congolese investors keep struggling to tap into the Tanzanian market. In 2022-2023, the DRC exported only $2.7 million worth of goods to Tanzania or less than 1% of Tanzania’s total imports from the EAC. The year before, DRC exports to Tanzania amounted to $3 million. Meanwhile, Kenya supplied 77.6% of Tanzania's total imports in 2022-2023. 

The Democratic Republic of Congo officially joined the EAC in July 2022.

Espoir Olodo