News & Events Details

THE BILL AUTHORIZING THE RATIFICATION OF THE NEW INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT ON COCOA-AIC AND THAT AUTHORIZING THE RATIFICATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP-PEG SIGNED WITH THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ADOPTED THIS WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2026 BY THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Strengthening the integration of the Democratic Republic of Congo into multilateral trade, the National Assembly definitively adopted this Wednesday July 8, 2026 the bill authorizing the ratification of the new International Agreement on Cocoa-AIC, signed on July 2, 2026 in Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire and that authorizing the ratification of the Agreement on the Global Economic Partnership-APEG, signed on February 2 in Abu Dhabi with the United Arab Emirates, and this, after the Senate.

The first agreement offers several advantages to the country including the integration of the DRC into the global governance of the cocoa sector, participation in making major decisions on the regulation of cocoa prices, support for local producers, promotion of local cocoa processing with the development of value chains and access to confidential information and statistics.

The second agreement will play a key role in increasing trade and investments, with 6,000 products made in the DRC which will be exempt from customs duties on the Emirati market, strengthening the capacities of the DRC, customs cooperation, but also in the transfer of technologies.

On behalf of the Congolese Government, the Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya paid tribute to the National Deputies, legitimately elected by the people, for having provided the country with two strategic tools, which gradually strengthen the economic sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Note that there remains only the stage of promulgation by the President of the Republic, Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo, to definitively align the DRC on the trajectory of mutually beneficial international trade.