EAC launches new portal for importers, exporters

BY BUSINESS REPORTER

INFORMATION on clearing and transporting of goods within East African Community will significantly reduce corruption and delays at the ports, Kanimba Francois, Minister for Trade and Industry of Rwanda has said.

Speaking at Serena Hotel in Kigali, during the launch of an E-Portal, an online database that will host all information on existing rules of trade, procedures, duty, regulations and documents required for international trade within East African region, Mr Kanimba said an understanding of how trade is conducted will speed up the clearing and transportation of goods.

"Corruption at the borders is as a result of lack of information. If an innocent person had the information of how customs works he cannot be asked to pay Sh5 million in bribes," Kanimba said.

"The portal should therefore assist EAC countries to identify which areas still have Non Tariff Barriers (NTB) for elimination in order to move goods faster across borders."

The minister said Rwanda was poorly ranked by the World Bank in trade because of factors beyond its control. He blamed delays in the clearance of goods destined for Rwanda at the Port of Mombasa and poor infrastructure as factors that have raised the cost of doing business in his country.

"We rely on the port of Mombasa and the road system through Kenya and Uganda to get our goods. NTBs in Kenya and Uganda directly affect our imports and exports as we have no control over the infrastructure or the number of road blocks," Kanimba, who until recently was Rwanda’s Central Bank Governor, said.

Intra-border trade

"The other countries should come to our aid. E-Portal is therefore a welcome idea that should be used to facilitate intra-border trade within the community," Kanimba said.

John Bosco Rusagara, President of the regional freight forwarders apex body, the Freight of Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations, thanked Trade Mark East Africa for coming up with an E-portal to facilitate movement of goods across borders.

"The cost of moving data, and the ability to collect, sift and interpret information has fallen much further," Rusagara said.