The Trade Hub, in collaboration with Kenya’s Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade held Kenya’s first National Conference on the Performance of Joint Border Committees (JBCs) and Cross-Border Traders Associations (CBTA) in Mombasa, Kenya on September 3-4, 2013. The conference brought together private and public sector agencies operating at Kenyan borders to create greater harmonization of border operations. Participants reviewed and discussed results of the Kenya border operations assessments that the Trade Hub recently conducted.

JBCs are multi-sectoral working groups established at border posts to facilitate collaboration between key government agencies and the private sector in order to identify critical operational challenges and develop local solutions.

CBTAs are private sector associations that bring together informal traders that do business across borders. CBTAs enable these small-scale traders to lobby collectively on issues related to tariffs and customs duties as well as other costs associated with cross-border trade. CBTAs also educate members on issues and policies relevant to regional cross-border trade in order to encourage formalized trade.

The Principal Secretary of the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism applauded the Trade Hub for establishing JBCs at four Kenyan border posts and emphasised the government’s commitment to launch JBCs and CBTAs at Lungalunga, Taveta, Nadapal, Moyale, and Loitoktok border posts.
At the conference, the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism’s Director of Private Sector Development, Mr. Geoffrey Kionano said of JBCs in Kenya, “As a result of this work, border crossing time has reduced from several days to hours, allowing for almost twice as many trucks to pass through.” According to Kionano, the time savings represents an estimated US $69 million (Ksh 6 billion).