The Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda are expected to sign six memoranda of understanding aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, infrastructure and security. The agreements are expected during a two-day official visit by President Félix Tshisekedi to Kampala that began on May 11, 2026.

They were announced by Congolese Deputy Prime Minister and Interior and Security Minister Jacquemain Shabani following the ninth session of the Joint Permanent Commission (JPC).

According to a statement from the Congolese Ministry of Hydrocarbons, experts from both countries spent several days reviewing the documents, which were subsequently examined at the ministerial level before being cleared for signature.

The Congolese delegation in Kampala includes Minister of State for Hydrocarbons Acacia Bandubola Mbongo and roughly a dozen other cabinet members and senior government officials.

The new agreements come as Kinshasa and Kampala push ahead with several cross-border infrastructure projects intended to support bilateral trade.

On March 5, the infrastructure ministers of both countries announced the launch of paving works on the first 15 kilometers of the Kasindi-Beni road, a strategic 80-kilometer corridor linking North Kivu to the Ugandan border. According to the Congolese Ministry of Infrastructure, the decision was aimed at reviving a project that had been stalled by a series of administrative and technical constraints.

The road is part of a cross-border road program launched by Presidents Tshisekedi and Yoweri Museveni in 2021. The program covers the Kasindi-Beni, Beni-Butembo and Bunagana-Rutshuru-Goma corridors, spanning a combined 223 kilometers.

The Kampala talks are also taking place against a backdrop of growing trade between the two countries. According to data compiled by the Bank of Uganda, official Congolese imports from Uganda reached $542.74 million during the 2024/2025 fiscal year. When informal flows estimated by the Ugandan central bank are included, total bilateral trade approaches $1 billion annually.

Alongside the commercial agenda, Congolese and Ugandan authorities are maintaining their security cooperation in eastern DRC, where several road corridors used for cross-border trade continue to be affected by instability.

Boaz Kabeya