The Observer Monday, May 8 - 9, 2017
MINISTRY OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND COOPERATIVES
Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde
ANTHONY LAM AYEBE
T
he Border Export
Zones project,
Implemented
through the
Regional Integration
Implementation Programme
(RIIP), is a tripartite arrangement
involving the ministry of Trade,
Industry and Cooperatives, local
government authorities and the
private sector. The project aims to
create employment and promote
value addition through the
establishment of strategic cross-
border markets and promotion
of Ugandas exports to regional
markets.
According to trade minister
Amelia Kyambadde, through
the Regional Integration
Implementation Programme
(RIIP) with support from the
European Union (EU) through
COMESA, her ministry plans
to construct Border Export
Zones (BEZ) at 18 border points
with the aim of increasing
Ugandas competitiveness in,
and penetration of, regional
markets. This will also develop
and enhance the capacity of
small-scale cross-border traders
to take advantage of the existing
and potential regional markets,
and enhance value addition and
promotion of high-value exports
to regional markets.
The following border crossings
were identified and targeted for
development into Border Export
Zones to leverage Ugandas
exports into these respective
regional markets:
Malaba, Busia, Lwakhakha and
Amudat for trade with Kenya.
Elegu, Vurra, Oraba, Lumino,
Ngom Oromo and Madi Opei for
trade with South Sudan.
Mpondwe, Lamya-Busunga,
Ishasha and Bunagana for trade
with DR Congo.
Katuna and Mirama Hills for
trade with Rwanda.
Mutukula and Kikagati for trade
with the United Republic of
Tanzania.
Hon Amelia Kyambadde says
that under the BEZ program,
government will develop at the
border a market similar to Owino,
provide for a primary and value
addition processing centre,
Border Export Zones gateway
to Ugandas regional markets
OVERALL 3D VIEW OF THE PROPOSED KABALE - KATUNA CROSS BORDER MARKET
TO KATUNA
establish a commercial building
for goods and services, construct
warehouses and storage facilities
and supply the site with water
prepared by:
and electricity. ECO-SHELTER & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS
The BEZ will beArchitects
for attracting and
P.O.Box
10744, Tel. 258811, Fax. (256-41-258833) Kampala, Uganda
goods for export into the
GSPublisherEngine 0.21.100.100
regional market especially the
neigbouring countries.
This will be used to address
challenges faced by cross-border
traders including the distortion
of the value chain by foreigners
who buy goods directly from
producers and at times by buying
gardens from the farmers thereby
eliminating the possibility for
value addition. It will also enable
facilitate bulking, improved
compliance to standards and
export of valued added products
The Border Market Programme
(BMP) was developed by the
government of Uganda in 2009
to strategically position Uganda,
and help in harnessing regional
market opportunities through
increasing competitiveness
and penetration into regional
markets. This would also
increase the capacity of Small
and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
to benefit from the existing
and potential regional markets
alongside creating value addition
and promoting export of high
value added products to the
regional markets, which would
in turn create employment and
EUROPE DAY 17
Regional Integration Implementation Program (RIIP)
carrying goods on their head,
on bicycles, motorcycles and
wheelbarrows. They cross the
border informally, through any
point often the unofficial ones,
they dont register their trade,
are not regulated, recognised
or recorded and are not known
and supported by government.
RIIP is supporting the process
of formalizing their trade so
that they can trade formally in
businesses that are recognised
by authorities in the countries
TO KABALE where they are operating.
The target for this initiative is
Kabale District
to organise the traders so that
Local Government they cross formally as they carry
Land out cross-border trade. This
includes organizing traders into
organized groups dubbed Cross-
border traders associations
and establishment of trade
information offices at the border.
Trade information officers will
work with them and ensure that
small traders cross the border and
seamlessly clear with customs
and immigration. Traders
Private Land are also trained in customs
procedures and immigration
rules. The guidance from the
Trade Information Desks (TIDs)
SOUTH-EASTERN 3D VIEW OF THE helps traders understand issues
KABALE - KATUNA BORDER MARKET they need to know as they
trade across the borders and
trade in South Sudan, Rwanda,
Democratic Republic of Congo
districts and consultants have (DRC) and Kenya.
been contracted to develop Steven Kamukama, the project
master plans, bills of quantities coordinator for RIIP, noted
Client : Project :
and EIA Drawing.title:
reports for eachScale :
of the that the project is contributing
MINISTRY OF
sites in Amuru district not to(Elegu
scale towards the deepening of
SITE PLAN
used &aPlanning hubConsultants TRADE, INDUSTRY & PROPOSED KABALE border),
- KATUNA Busia
LAYOUT(BusiaDate : border), regional integration by
BORDER MARKET
positioning
Email:esecmpts@utlonline.co.ug
COOPERATIVES Kabale (Katuna border), DEC 2015 implementing programmes that
Manafwa (Lwakhakha border) have been prioritized at the EAC
and Koboko (Oraba border). The and COMESA levels.
border export zones will be built With the free trade area,
on a public-private partnership it opens a border, and goods
model. produced are exported into
The border export programme another country without paying
Project Coodinator for RIIP Steven will seek to establish border import or export duties.
Kamukama markets, finance companies, Goods originating from Uganda
primary and secondary to all neighbouring countries,
processing centres, warehouses, except South Sudan, do not
promote economic growth and storage facilities in the confines attract import duties, whether
development. of the border export zones. The in large or small quantities,
The overall budget of the entire initiative will ensure that the Kamukama reiterated.
programme was estimated at products exported comply with He urged the private sector to
$107m, with funding expected to the standards of the countries take advantage of the initiative.
come from both the government the goods are being exported The emphasis of the project is
of Uganda and development to. This initiative will fulfill placed on creation of awareness
partners. RIIPs objectives of promoting among the small-scale traders,
The ministry of Trade, Industry Ugandas effective integration training on the requirements
and Cooperatives has allocated into the COMESA free trade of the trade arrangements,
approximately, Euros 744,000 area, improve Ugandas business such as certificates of origin,
out of Euros 2.8m funds competitiveness and increase rules of origin and standards
received from the EU through market access for Ugandas requirements.
RIIP under the COMESA products and services in regional In order to register success, the
Adjustment Fund to support and international markets. project supports measures for
feasibility studies, development easing the process of clearing
of master plans, architectural RIIP is also implementing the small consignments, simplifying
design, documentation and Simplified Trade Regime (STR), the documentation, and reducing
bills of quantities and the an arrangement for formalizing the costs of accessing the clearing
undertaking of Environmental small-scale cross-border trade. documents. This will make
Impact Assessments (EIA) for This initiative targets traders traders comply with the trade
the respective border sites. crossing the border with goods procedures.
At the moment, the ministry valued at less than $2,000,
has received land from five mostly conducted by people ayebeanthony@gmail.com