More time has been given to Tanzania and Burundi allowing the two countries the opportunity of  preparing for the shift towards a single customs territory (SCT) roll-out following the announcement that Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda have postponed the implementation.

The SCT was initially planned to begin in January with the three countries moving their revenue staff to common entry and exit points to begin goods clearance. But Tanzania and Burundi protested their exclusion in the arrangement after Kenya announced in January that it was ready to start accommodating revenue officials from the two landlocked states in Mombasa, prompting the three States to go slow on their plans.

East Africa Community (EAC) secretariat custom officer Ally Alexander says the implementation of the model would begin in June.

Alexander states, “We are looking at reducing the costs and number of days to clear the cargo from Mombasa to Kampala to take three days instead of the previous 18 days.”

Alexander adds that SCT would reduce the cost of doing business and bring efficiency in trade. He said for exports within the region, a single regional bond for cargo would be issued to cater for goods from the port of Mombasa to different destinations.

An electronic cargo tracking system would also be used to avoid diversion of goods into the transit market. Under the model, goods will be checked by a single agency on compliance to regional standards and instruments.

Alexander adds, “We want to avoid agencies replicating checking on standards, when it is done once this will not be repeated.”

However goods heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo which is not a member of EAC will be cleared on a transit basis.

Source:businessdailyafrica.com