Category / Cross Border Trade

by Mike Poverello

Rwanda-Burundi Establish Second One-Stop Border Post

Rwanad-Burundi OSBPA one stop border post has been established at Ruhwa in Rusizi District order to reduce the amount of time spent by traders clearing goods at the Rwanda-Burundi border. The one-stop border post is also expected to bolster trade between the two countries and see an infrastructure overhaul at the border area, according to the Minister of State for Transport, Dr Alexis Nzahabwanimana.

Under the one border post, travellers will access services at one spot unlike in the past when documents were processed at two locations – one in Rwanda and the other across the Burundi border. The process will now take about five minutes as opposed to 30.

With the new system, immigration, emigration and customs officials from the two countries share offices to ease the clearance procedures for travellers entering or departing either country.

Dr Nzahabwanimana observed that the post is an indication of existing good relations between the two countries and that it will “strengthen brotherhood between our peoples and boost trade between our two countries.”

“The post will ease the movement of people and goods,” Nzahabwanimana on Wednesday. “It will also reduce delays that people incurred while clearing at the border in the past.”

He urged employees to seize the opportunity and improve on the quality of services they provide. He also advised them to exploit modern technologies if they want to make a difference in what they do.

Burundi’s Minister of Transport and Public Works, Deogratias Rurimunzu described the move as “another step forward in the cooperation and friendship” between Rwanda and Burundi. He observed that the border will promote bilateral trade and cooperation abetween both countries.

“Work diligently, use your skills, pto provide better services and put these infrastructures to good use for them to benefit our population,” Rurimunzu told employees at the border post.

About the project

The idea to establish the one-stop border post was first floated in 2009. It is part of a larger project which comprises border infrastructures including administrative blocks, staff quarters, a warehouse, a weighbridge, social facilities, street lighting and water sources, among others.

The project also comprised the renovation of a 50.6 kilometre road between Nyamitanga and Ruhwa on the Burundian side as well as the construction of Ntendezi-Mwityazo Road on the Rwandan side.

The project was sponsored by the African Development Bank (AfDB), at a cost of about Rwf32billion on either side of the border. Ruhwa one stop border post is the second shared between Rwanda and Burundi following the establishment of the Gasenyi-Nemba border post in Bugesera district in 2011. Source: The New Times, Rwanda

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by Mike Poverello

A South African RFID/GPS cross-border logistics and customs solution

Inefficiency of road freight transport is one of the primary factors that hamper the economy of sub-Saharan Africa. Long delays experienced at border posts are the single biggest contributor towards the slow average movement of freight. Cross-border operations are complicated by the conflicting security objectives of customs and border authorities versus efficiency objectives of transport operators. It furthermore suffers from illegal practices involving truck drivers and border officials. In theory the efficiency of cross-border operations can be improved based on the availability of more accurate and complete information – the latter will be possible if different stakeholders can exchange data between currently isolated systems.

Cross-border trade basically comprises 3 distinct but interlinked layers –

An information layer – in which various trade documentation (purchase order, invoice), cargo and conveyance information (packing list, manifest), customs and government regulatory data (declaration, permits) are exchanged between various supply chain entities and the customs authority. These primarily attest to the legal ownership, contract of carriage, reporting and compliance with customs and other regulatory authority formalities (export and import), and delivery at destination.

A logistics layer – for the collection, consolidation, sealing and conveyance of physical cargo from point of despatch via at least two customs control points (export and import), to deconsolidation and delivery at point of destination.

A financial layer – which refers to the monetary exchange flow from buyer (importer) to seller (exporter) according to the terms and conditions of the sale (INCOTERMS). Hmm… no, this does not include ‘bribe’ money.

All three layers are inter-linked and prone to risk at any point of a given transaction. There is also no silver bullet solution to secure supply chains. Moreover, it is a fallacy that Customs and Border Agencies will ever conquer cross-border crime – simply because there are too many angles to monitor. Furthermore, in order to set up cross—border information exchange and joint enforcement operations it is both legally and politically time-consuming. Criminal elements are not hampered by these ‘institutions’, they simply spot the gaps and forge ahead.

One of the areas requiring customs attention is that of chain of custody. In short this implies the formal adoption of the World Customs Organisation’s SAFE Framework principles. Each party with data that needs to be filed with the government for Customs and security screening purposes has responsibilities. Those responsibilities include –

  • Protecting the physical goods from tampering, theft, and damage.
  • Providing appropriate information to government authorities in a timely and accurate manner for security screening purposes.
  • Protecting the information related to the goods from tampering and unauthorized access. This responsibility applies equally to times before, during and after having custody of the goods.

Tenacent RFID Tag

Tenacent RFID Tag

Security seals are an integral part of the chain of custody. The proper grade and application of the security seal is addressed below. Security seals should be inspected by the receiving party at each change of custody for a cargo-laden container. Inspecting a seal requires visual check for signs of tampering, comparison of the seal’s identification number with the cargo documentation, and noting the inspection in the appropriate documentation. More recently the emergence of certain e-seals and container security devices (CSDs) contribute even further to minimizing the amount of ‘physical’ verification required, as they are able to electronically notify the owner of the goods or government authority in the event of an incidence of tampering.

White Paper - GPS-RFID systems for cross-border management of freight consignments

White Paper – GPS-RFID systems for cross-border management of freight consignments

A group of South African specialist engineers have been working closely with transport authorities, logistics specialists, defense experts and customs authorities across the globe. Their e-seal is patented in no less than 16 high volume countries. It is produced in Singapore, China and Indonesia depending on politics, free-trade agreements and demand. May move some to Brazil and US in time. Proof of concept (POC) initiatives are currently underway in Brazil for rail cargo, US Marine Corps for their p-RFID program and other Department of Defense divisions in the USA, and will shortly be included in one of the GSA agreements making it available to any government department in the US. Further adrift, the e-seal is also currently enjoying interest in Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, Panama, Jordan, Italy, Spain, and Malaysia. Here, in South Africa, a POC was conducted at the 1st autogate at Durban Container Terminal, funded by the North West University, and overseen with successfully achieved objectives by Transnet Port Terminals. For technical details of the RFID seal, click here!

With much anticipated success abroad, how much support will this product attain in the local and sub-Saharan African scene? Government authorities, as well as logistics and supply chain operators are therefore encouraged to study the enclosed ‘white paper’ – Click Here!. It firstly quantifies the size of the problem and estimates the potential economic benefits that will be created by improved cross-border operations. It then proposes a combined GPS/RFID system that can provide the required level of visibility to support improved operational management, resulting in a simultaneous increase in the security and efficiency of cross-border freight operations. A brief cost-benefits analysis is performed to show that the expected benefits from such a system will by far exceed the costs of implementation. Source: Tenacent & iPico

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by Mike Poverello

UNCTAD – Africa ‘ignores its trade deals’

Cars and trucks at the South African border at Musina, Limpopo, queue to cross into Zimbabwe. The Unctad report says there are traditional transport routes in Africa - Photo: Motshwari Mofokeng.

Cars and trucks at the South African border at Musina, Limpopo, queue to cross into Zimbabwe. The Unctad report says there are traditional transport routes in Africa – Photo: Motshwari Mofokeng.

An official in the UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), complains that Africa’s leaders repeatedly sign trade agreements and fail to implement them. Launching the organisation’s 2013 Africa development report in Johannesburg, Patrick Osakwe said leaders should set more realistic targets and “do more serious research” on the viability of the agreements.

Intra-African trade represents only about 11 percent of Africa’s total trade with the world, despite official commitments to improve the flows. Osakwe cited the case of the regional industrial policy adopted by the Economic Community of West African States in June 2010, which “has yet to be fully implemented”.

In June 2011 President Jacob Zuma announced talks on a 26-nation free trade agreement between three existing trading blocs, including the Southern African Development Community, of which South Africa is a member. Experts greeted the proposal with scepticism, noting a long history of leaders signing commitments to free trade or regional integration, but failing to follow through.

The Unctad report, which was launched simultaneously in Geneva and in centres in Africa, said development should be seen in a regional context: co-operation among countries in a broader range of areas than just trade and trade facilitation. It should include investment, research and development, and regional infrastructure development.

The report cited the Maputo Development Corridor linking Gauteng to the port of Maputo as “a successful, true transport corridor that has unlocked landlocked provinces in one of the most highly industrialised and productive regions of southern Africa”.

It said: “There are currently more than 20 corridors in operation in Africa but most tend to be traditional transport corridors. There is a need to move beyond that and to create industrial development corridors as well.

The report focused on intra-African trade and urged governments to unlock the private sector’s potential so that they could successfully diversify their economies. Most African countries are heavily dependent on commodities to grow their economies.

Africa accounts for only 1 percent of global manufacturing, and manufacturing represents only about 10 percent of African gross domestic product, compared with 35 percent for east Asia and the Pacific, and 16 percent for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The share of manufacturing in intra-African trade fell from about 54 percent between 1996 and 2000 to 43 percent between 2007 and 2011, as the value of commodity exports soared.

The report identified a major challenge to expanding the manufacturing sector. The average manufacturing company in sub-Saharan Africa has 47 employees, compared with 171 in Malaysia, 195 in Vietnam and 393 in Thailand. The small size of the operations prevents businesses from achieving economies of scale.

Other barriers were weak linkages between small and large firms, a high share of informal firms, low levels of export competitiveness and a lack of innovation capability. Transport costs were also prohibitive. “In central Africa, transporting 1 ton of goods from Douala in Cameroon to N’Djamena in Chad costs $0.11 (R1.10) per kilometre, more than twice the cost in western Europe and more than five times the cost in Pakistan.” Source: www.iol.co.za

by Mike Poverello

Africa and the War on Drugs

Co-authored by Neil Carrier - a researcher based at the African Studies Centre, Oxford and Gernot Klantschnig - a lecturer in International Studies at the University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China.

Co-authored by Neil Carrier – a researcher based at the African Studies Centre, Oxford and Gernot Klantschnig – a lecturer in International Studies at the University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China.

Given the much over-stated phrase ‘the war on drugs’, enforcement and security agents alike will find the following book of immense value, especially in that it provides a continental view of the problem in Africa. Nigerian drug lords in UK prisons, khat-chewing Somali pirates hijacking Western ships, crystal meth-smoking gangs controlling South Africa’s streets and the Bissau-Guinean state captured by narco-traffickers. These are some of the vivid images surrounding drugs in Africa which have alarmed policymakers, academics and the general public in recent years. In this revealing and original book, the authors weave these aspects into a provocative argument about Africa’s role in the global trade and control of drugs. In doing so, they show how foreign-inspired policies have failed to help African drug users who require medical support, while strengthening the role of corrupt and brutal law enforcement officers who are tasked with halting the export of heroin and cocaine to European and American consumer markets.

‘A fresh, ambitious, and critical survey of drug use and trafficking in Africa, where globalization has added cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine to local staples like beer, khat, and cannabis. Carrier and Klantschnig explore the continent’s changing drug ecologies, the mixed implications for development, and policy responses that have ranged from more drug wars to state complicity in the traffic.’ David T. Courtwright, Presidential Professor,Department of History, University of North Florida

‘Reliable data on the use of drugs in Africa is notoriously hard to find, and this is a topic which tends to attract sensationalism and political opportunism rather than rational commentary and debate. In this readable and thorough book, Carrier and Klantschnig offer a calm and reasoned review of the existing evidence and develop an effective critique of the “war on drugs” approach. Picking apart many common assumptions about psycho-active substances in Africa, they effectively challenge the value of supply-side regulatory approaches and attempts at prohibition, and argue for policies based on harm-reduction. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in drugs policy in Africa.’ Justin Willis, Durham University

Reviews: courtesy Amazon.com

by Mike Poverello

New Ressano Garcia Cargo Terminal Operational By December

Mozambique flagA new cargo terminal will be opened at the Ressano Garcia – Lebombo border crossing before the end of the year to speed up the processing of customs clearance for goods moving between Mozambique and South Africa.

To further the project an agreement has been reached between the Mozambique Tax Authority (ATM) and a consortium composed of the Matola Cargo Terminal (Frigo), Matrix and the “Zambian Border Crossing Company”.

The 15 year concession contract was signed on 14 June in Ressano Garcia by the chairperson of ATM, Rosario Fernandes, and by the managing director of Frigo, Filipe Franco.

Filipe Franco told AIM that a new truck terminal is being built where facilities will be available for all the necessary services including customs, migration, and officials dealing with health and agriculture.

He pointed out that “our objective is to ensure that the terminal will be completed and operational by December”, adding that the consortium is composed of companies with a great deal of experience in managing cargo terminals.

Rosario Fernandes said that the cargo terminal project will facilitate trade by speeding up customs clearance at the border post through a one stop system and the single electronic window system which is being implemented throughout Mozambique. Source: AIM (Mozambique News Agency)

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by Mike Poverello

Call to Develop Zim-RSA Transport and Trade Links

zim-rsaZimbabwe needs to further develop transport and trade infrastructure links with South Africa to maintain Africa’s biggest economy as its single most important trading partner, recent research findings have shown.

This came from preliminary findings of a research study carried out by Dr Medicine Masiiwa who was commissioned by the Ministry of Regional Integration and International Co-operation to undertake the study on trade and transport. The World Bank funded the study to assess the need to facilitate transport and trade in Zimbabwe. The findings form part of preliminary desk research ahead of a more detailed second phase.

Dr Masiiwa presented the initial findings from the desk research to stakeholders at a workshop in Harare. Preliminary findings of the study show that since economic and political stability, key for trade competitiveness of Zimbabwe is now in place, the country’s trade was bound for significant growth, making a trade and transport facilitation measure critical to support this growth.

“A major implication of having South Africa as Zimbabwe’s single most significant trading partner is that the transport and trade infrastructure between the two countries should be further developed,” he said.

Development options include expanding the current border post to accommodate more traffic or to construct a new border post altogether. Sound transport and trade infrastructure between Zimbabwe and South Africa is critical as more than 34 percent of local imports go to South Africa while Zimbabwe imports more than 60 percent of basic commodities from that country.

But the state of the main trunk road, on the Zimbabwe side, has remained in poor state despite also being the main link between the north and south. Increased trade with China implies that Zimbabwe, in collaboration with its regional partners, needs to further develop the Beira and Limpopo transport corridors, which link Zimbabwe with the ports on the east coast.

“It is also interesting to note that trade with the EU and other Western countries is on the rebound; meaning transport corridors linking western gateways also need to be further developed,” said Dr Masiiwa.

The major problem facing Zimbabwe is that the quality of infrastructure is deteriorating and therefore acting as an impediment to trade. A study by the World Bank showed that in the 1990s, the proportion of primary roads in “good” condition was about 90 percent, but this dropped to 85 percent in 2009. Roads with the worst conditions are secondary roads, where about 45 per cent of paved and 50 percent of the unpaved secondary roads are in poor condition. Source: Zimbabwe Herald

by Mike Poverello

Zimbabwe Car Imports Up 23 Percent

Secondhand Cars ZimbabweVehicle imports through the Beitbridge Border Post increased by 23 percent between January and May this year compared to the same period last year, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority has said. The increase is attributed to the price freeze of vehicles in South Africa and also the exorbitant prices of vehicles on the local market. Prices of second hand vehicles in South Africa have remained stable for the past 12 months. It costs on average US$7 000 to buy a second hand modest car from South Africa and at least US$20 000 and above to buy a similar car on the local market.

Figures from Zimra show that a total of 14 114 vehicles have been imported through Beitbridge between January 1 and May 31, 2013 compared to 10 851 vehicles during the same period last year.

Investigations by Herald Business show that on average Zimra clears a total of 1 500 cars per month at Manica bonded warehouse, and the figure has increased to between 2 000 and 3 500.

A total of between 15 and 25 car carriers offload vehicles at Manica daily. Zimra’s legal and corporate affairs director Ms Florence Jambwa said that most of the cars were coming from Japan via Durban, South Africa.

“There has been a marked increase of motor vehicle imports at Beitbridge Border Post this year as compared to the year 2012.

“The month of January had the lowest number of imports (1 194) while the month of May had the highest number (3 706), in fact there has been an increase every month.

“You will note that imports of motor vehicles through Beitbridge are increasing as such the work load increases.

“However, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority employs several strategies to curb challenges at the border post mainly through embracing modern technological innovations such as the use of scanners and the ASYCUDA World system which is Internet-based,” said Ms Jambwa.

She said they had already addressed the challenges that were affecting the processing of vehicle imports at Beitbridge border post. Early this year there had been an outcry over the slow processing of vehicle imports at Manica where importers were spending around two days to complete the processes with Zimra. On average it should take less than one and half hours per vehicle if correct documentation was made available. She said they had no backlogs in terms of printing the customs clearance certificates for all newly imported vehicles.

Herald Business is reliably informed that plans are underway to have a cash office at the bonded warehouse and the authority has been encouraging its clients to make their payments through the bank and avoid carrying cash. Source: Zimbabwe Herald

by Mike Poverello

SA Ratifies the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Annex to the SADC Protocol On Trade

WTO-SPS-Measures-Presentation-Transcript-23698Cabinet approved South Africa’s ratification of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Annex to the Southern African Development Community‘s (SADC) Protocol on Trade and for this to be submitted to Parliament.

Agriculture is one of the key sectors in the SADC region due to the sector having the highest potential for growth in terms of export. SADC realises, however, that the sector can only grow significantly if producers are able to access markets for agricultural products. To facilitate market access and promote intra Africa trade it is critical that border trade policies, including SPS measures be harmonised in line with international standards and guidelines in the interest of improving the movement of goods and services in the region. (Read in more red tape)

The SADC Protocol on Trade to which SA has acceded, serves to promote regional cooperation and integration amongst member states for trade in goods and services within the region, including agricultural products.

Article 16 of the Protocol encourages member states to base their Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures on international standards, guidelines and recommendations so as to harmonise SPS measures for plant health, animal health and food safety.

To give effect to the provisions of Article 16 of the Protocol, an SPS annex to the SADC Protocol on Trade was drafted and consequently adopted by the SADC Committee of Ministers of Trade (CMT), in July 2008.  Annex VIII to the SADC Protocol on Trade concerning SPS measures represents an enabling regional strategy to promote cooperation in SADC with regards to issues of food safety, plant health and animal health.

In addition, most SADC member states are also signatory members to the World Trade Organisation‘s Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (WTO-SPS) which places obligations on member states to ensure that the SPS measures they implement are least restrictive to trade, while being scientifically justifiable for the protection of human, animal or plant life and health.

The ratification and implementation of the SPS Annex will therefore facilitate improved mechanisms and institutional arrangements in conformity with obligations under the WTO-SPS agreement so as to minimise SPS related issues that impact the trade of agricultural and services trade within the region. Source: SA Government

Want to understand more on the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures – Click here!

 

by Mike Poverello

SADC launches National Customs Business Forums

Namibia Customs Business Forum Launch – 22nd May 2013 in Windhoek, Namibia.
Zambia Customs to Business Forum (ZCBF) launched on April 26th, 2013.

The SADC Sub-Committee on Customs Cooperation (SCCC) emphasizes great importance in strengthening cooperation between Customs and the private sector in order to give Customs Administrations in the SADC region an opportunity to offer a more efficient and effective customs service to their clients. The overall purpose of Customs to business partnerships is to ensure a partnership and dialogue structure of key stakeholders in the trading chain that contributes to trade facilitation, improvements in customs operations and higher compliance by the trading community.

The SCCC during its 20th meeting made the recommendation to establish National Customs Business Forums (NCBF) in all SADC Member States. Recently National Customs Business forums were established and launched in Malawi (September 2012), Zambia (April 2013) and Namibia (May 2013).  The NCBFs are meant to facilitate a stronger partnership between Customs and business at national level, promoting a regular and results oriented dialogue, and taking action on existing challenges in the supply chain of goods.

The Zambia Customs to Business Forum (ZCBF) was launched on April 26th, 2013 by the Deputy Minister of Commerce Trade & Industry in the presence of Commissioner General of the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), Commissioner Customs (ZRA) and several public sector and business representative organizations which are important players in the Trading chain. In his keynote address, the Minister said “As a minister responsible for trade, i am profoundly delighted at seeing such initiatives being brought to the fore as this will help in improving the ease of doing business in Zambia. Furthermore, it is important to state that such initiatives are in line with best practices as stipulated under both multilateral organisations namely; the World customs organisation and the World trade organisation”.

The Namibia Customs Business Forum was launched by the Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila on the 22nd May 2013 in Windhoek, Namibia. The forum is envisaged to become “a bi-annual dialogue forum that brings together public and private sector [actors] in the trading chain to continually assess and adopt measures that promote effective trade facilitation, as well as enhance customs operations and higher compliance,” a statement from the Finance Ministry says.

In May 2013, the SCCC endorsed a Private Sector involvement strategy which additionally recommends the establishment of a Regional Customs Business Forum (between Customs and its stakeholders) in a bid to facilitate the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Trade. Source: SADC Secretariat.

by Mike Poverello

Home Affairs announces plans for Border Management Agency

safrica1Minister for Home Affairs, Naledi Pandor, in her recent budget debate  (click hyperlink to view full speech) to parliment, made brief allusion to the establishment of a Border Management Agency (BMA) in South Africa. The Agency will ensure coordination of and co-operation among the departments operating at South African points of entry and along our borders. The BMA will be led by the Department of Home Affairs and will involve SARS, SANDF, SAPS, Health and Agriculture. At present, focused attention is being paid to improving the management, capacity, and infrastructure at ports of entry. Last year over R110 million was allocated to ports of entry infrastructure via the Public Works budget. This year over R130 million is being made available in the DHA budget. A number of our ports of entry have been equipped with the enhanced movement control system (EMCS) while introducing the advanced passenger processing system (APP) for airlines. Source: Info.gov.za

by Mike Poverello

Non-Tariff Barriers – SADC Secretariat requested to intervene in Mozambique

0b8a0ce6140c04b4f629a97cb5e8d8f34e69d4a1The SADC, COMESA and EAC Tripartite alliance has been urged by various Zimbabwean, Zambian and Malawian exporters to salvage a potential crippling situation occurring at Mozambique borders. This follows the recent implementation of a new transit bond guarantee system which in conjunction with the Single Window system is allegedly causing significant delays, including loss of business and spiralling demurrage for transit goods emanating from these landlocked countries, en route for export from various Mozambique ports, Beira in particular.

Complaint no. NTB-000-578 in terms of ‘Lengthy and costly customs clearance procedures’ was lodged and can be viewed in full on the Tripartite’s NTB portal. Amongst the various problems sited, the complainants request the following of Mozambique –

  • Mozambique Ministry of Finance is requested to get customs to consider a parallel system to run with the electronic single window programme to clear the backlog in Beira port now and also consider providing release against Report orders to reduce further downtime in port . This will be a stop-gap measure until the customs staff are well versed , fully trained and that the new system can work well.
  • Mozambique authorities to facilitate arrangements with Cornelder to consider waiving storage for this special situation or at least offer 75% credit on the bills due which I must say are now astronomical based on the days the cargo has stayed in port both imports and exports.
  • Mozambique authorities to facilitate arrangements with shipping lines to consider waiving completely the demurrage due on the empty containers or at least give say 15-21 more days grace period before demurrage starts accruing.
  • Mozambique authorities to facilitate arrangements that Mozambique customs get technical assistance to assist roll this new programme out without causing huge catastrophes like this.

Mozambique has acknowledged the complaint and expressed regret over the developments. Mozambique reported that the issue was receiving urgent attention and they would provide feed back shortly.

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by Mike Poverello

EAC Traders Encouraged to Grab AEO Business Opportunities

EACThe EAC business community has been asked to take advantage of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) scheme that seeks to cut down costs of doing business in the East African member states.

The AEO programme, launched in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday, is an entity involving importers, clearing agents, transport companies authorized to import and move cargo within the EAC region with minimal inspections and other customs interventions at checkpoints.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of East African Cooperation Dr Stergomena Tax, launching the World Customs Organisation (WCO)-AEO pilot programme said, “The AEO status can provide companies with significant competitive advantages in terms of supply chain certainty and reduced import costs and finally to the final consumer.”

Apart from reduced transport costs, Dr Tax said the programme would also pull down storage charges because of minimal customs border inspections as well as few checkpoints or road blocks for transit goods.

The Swedish Ambassador to Tanzania Mr Lennarth Hjelmåker said the AEO scheme is a broader compliance strategy to reward compliant traders with simplification benefits which are concrete and predictable.

“Regional integration and cooperation are factors which are important for development, including creation of favourable conditions under which private sector can operate and provide for economic growth with focus on sustainability,” he said.

Sweden, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation (SIDA), has been supporting the work carried out by the WCO-EAC-AEO programme since 2008. Speaking on behalf of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Commissioner General Mr Saleh Mshoro, the revenues body’s Finance Director said efficiency and effectiveness of customs procedures can significantly boost the nation’s economic competitiveness.

The launching of AEO programme marks the beginning of a journey between the region’s revenues authorities and the business communities in facilitating smooth and win win trading activities. Source: Tanzania Daily News

by Mike Poverello

URA Introduces Electronic Cargo Tracking System

ura-logo-fireworks-advertisingA goods-laden vehicle arrives at a Uganda border where a declaration is made for transit to another country. But after clearance by customs officials, it disappears before exiting and the goods are sold on the local market. This causes undue competition as such goods are often low priced. And if that status quo does not change, local industries are affected gradually. Although such practices have occurred in the past, the future is bright owing to the introduction of a system that can track the movement of goods and give real-time updates.

Costing $5.2m, the Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) has been introduced by URA to improve efficiency and reduce the cost of doing business. The government, World Bank and Trade Mark East Africa, a trade facilitation organization, have supported the project, which is expected to be ready for testing by the end of August, and be fully implemented by end of November. URA Commissioner General Allen Kagina and BSMART Technology boss Stephen Teang this week signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the plan. This was at the URA head office in Nakawa, Kampala.

Kagina, who referred to it as a “landmark initiative”, praised the fact that customs officers would have regular updates regarding merchandise. She also hailed the fact that the provider would train staff, giving them much-needed skills.

The system will facilitate trade through timely execution and cancellation of customs bond guarantees for cargo in transit, making the transit process faster, more efficient and secure. Furthermore, this will enhance trade facilitation and business competitiveness countrywide.

How it works – ECTS relies on a control centre and automatic devices. The devices are attached onto a truck and constantly give feedback to the team at the control centre. Among others, the feedback includes include location of a vehicle, speed and status of the container (truck tampered with or not). If the device gives information that is contrary to that declared earlier, for example, goods being dumped here instead of being exported, customs officials make a decision accordingly. The system will be pioneered on high-risk goods like sugar, wines and spirits, textiles, explosives, and cigarettes. Thereafter, it will be rolled out to other types of merchandise.

Advantages – The system enables parties like customs officials and transporters to receive fulltime and real-time updates. URA has over the years introduced initiatives such as One-Stop Border processes and 24-hour operations at the major entry/exit points but the business community has sometimes not realized the benefits due to the numerous unwarranted stopovers. ECTS makes this a thing of the past. Source: The Observer (Kampala)

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by Mike Poverello

South Africa Now the Major Export Market for Zim Tobacco

Zimbabwean auctioneers selling tobacco

Zimbabwean auctioneers selling tobacco

This should bring happiness to the local Ministry of Health.

South Africa has displaced China as the dominant export market for Zimbabwean tobacco, reports the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. Information from the TIMB indicates that as at February 27, South Africa maintained the top position having bought 7,5 million kilogrammes of the golden leaf valued at US$22,8 million.

The tobacco was sold at an average price of US$3,02 per kilogramme. South Africa has been dominating the regional market. The country has since overtaken China, which has dropped to third position. The United Arab Emirates occupies second spot having maintained its place among the top buyers of the golden leaf.

The top five tobacco export markets for Zimbabwe’s tobacco are South Africa, UAE, China, Hong Kong and Sudan. Last year, China, Belgium, Indonesia, South Africa and Russia were among the top five during the same period. Zimbabwe has so far earned US$82 million from tobacco exports to different destinations. The country produces tobacco and exports semi-processed leaf.

Japan is offering the highest price for tobacco at US$10, 03 per kilogramme, followed by China offering US$9,20 per kilogramme and India offering US$8,86 per kilogramme. In 2012, agriculture grew by 4,6 percent with tobacco being the main component behind this growth. The crop accounted for 10,7 percent of the GDP in 2012 and constituted 21,8 percent of all total exports, compared to 9,2 percent for other agriculture commodities. This compares favourably with the 61,1 percent contribution by all minerals combined.

The economic benefits of tobacco are expected to increase in view of more and more growers increasing their production or, diversifying or switching to the crop. Source: AllAfrica.com

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by Mike Poverello

SARS Customs launches its Water Wing

SARS Customs Waterwing

SARS plans to operate jet skis (such as pictured above) along its vast river borders. [Picture – SARS]

Last week four Customs officers received their qualifications from the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) after having successfully completed their written and practical examinations. The officers who hail from the Northern Cape region will commence active patrol and enforcement operations along the northern border between South Africa and Namibia.

The SARS Water Wing skippers received their SAMSA category R certificates after completing a four-day training course at the Van Rhyn Dam in Benoni.

The officers will from next week begin patrolling the Orange River, the border between South Africa and Namibia, where there are suspected illegal trans-border transactions taking place, especially in abalone, diamonds, narcotics and rhino horn.

“These officials are now qualified skippers with category R licences which will enable them to patrol inland waters such as rivers, dams and harbours. The success of this pilot programme now enables us to actively assist in enforcing the Customs and Excise Act without being totally dependent on other departments,” said Hugo Taljaard, Senior Manager: Detector Dog Unit (Oversight).

He said that although the two jet skis will mostly be used in the Nakop area, they will also be utilised as far as Cape Town harbour in the small craft side of the harbour. There are plans to expand the unit. Customs’ first water wing boat is currently being constructed and more details about its deployment will be communicated in due course.  The jet skippers all agreed that it was quite exciting to be part of this pilot programme. “I never in my wildest dreams thought that one day I would be doing something like this,” remarked one candidate.  “Having jet skis will increase our visibility and this will serve as a deterrent to illegal trans-border traders,” added another.

Over the last 6 years SARS has steadily been increasing its visible policing and enforcement capability across the country’s vast land and sea borders. The hugely successful Detector Dog programme has attracted much national and regional attention. SARS also has plans to increase its existing non-intrusive inspection (NII) capability. Currently Durban, South Africa’s sole CSI port, is the only port with a dedicated X-ray scanning facility. Source: SARS Communications Division and self.

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