Trade Mark East Africa, which is instrumental in assisting countries in East Africa improve the free flow of freight through the region gives TWA an update on what is happening in the region.
Northern Corridor
Importers and businesses in Rwanda and the rest of the Northern Corridor can soon expect timely and efficient services at the port of Mombasa. This follows the signing of the Mombasa Port Community Charter by Kenya and the regional public and private agencies involved in port affairs. The charter, signed at the port of Mombasa, is expected to improve efficiency and boost trade across East Africa. The charter will, among others, aid the establishment of logistical and transport infrastructure, improve operational efficiency and facilitate regulation and oversight engagement. Karin Andersson, the chairperson of the Board of TradeMark East Africa, said the port being the gateway to Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and other countries along the Northern Corridor will ease the cost of doing business.
Customs
The single customs territory (SCT), whose major objective is to overcome the hurdle of slow and costly movement of goods and services and also improve the business environment in the region, is yet to be fully operational even after the lapse of the July 1 deadline. In the Northern Corridor comprising Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, the SCT project is at an advanced stage after being at the pilot stage for a long time, but not all goods have been added onto it. Tanzania and Burundi, which make up the Central Corridor, began implementation on July 1 but are piloting with only a few products.
Border posts
Local and regional traders using the Tanzania-Burundi border post will no longer spend much time crossing when the two countries start, under pilot basis implementation of the One Stop Border Post (OSBP) in Kabanga-Tanzania and Kobero—Burundi.