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Hi Quartz Africa readers,

In April, Equity Group—East Africa’s largest bank in assets and deposits—and the Kenyan government organized a trade delegation to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)  to mark the country’s entrance into the East Africa Community. With a population of 90 million people, the DRC became the bloc’s largest member, raising the EAC’s collective GDP from $193 billion to $240 billion. The 26 Kenyan companies that were part of the trade mission committed KES 185 billion ($1.6 billion) in investment in the DRC.

The private sector’s involvement in the discussion of regional integration marks a symbolic expansion from a realm usually dominated by politics. Sérgio Pimenta, the regional vice president for Africa at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), one of the early investors in Equity Bank and also a supporter of the recent DRC trade delegation, underlined that point in a recent interview: “Africa’s integration isn’t just a political discussion. It’s a private sector discussion too. The private sector is aware that for Africa’s full potential to be unlocked, it has to be done at a regional level.”

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