Improving the Border Agency Cooperation
Among the OIC Member States for Facilitating Trade
85
Finally, linked to the future developments of the regional AEO program, the EAC has a put in
place a regional compliance and enforcement action plan, which contains a regional risk
management strategy pack. WCO has been requested to support the implementation of this
action plan, thus linking it to the on-going CREATe-project.152 153
4.2.3. Summary and discussions
The Uganda case sets an example on how a country can take the first critical steps in
international BAC. Uganda and other members of the East African Community (EAC) have
succeeded in simplifying the overwhelming complexity that has long slowed down the trade
and logistics in the region. The most significant recent regional trade facilitation activities
include harmonization of food and agricultural staples, simplification of certificates of origin,
and the establishment of a helpdesk to cater for the information needs of the trading
community. Such relatively straight-forward measures have accelerated border formalities
and resulted in a significant boost in trade.
A notable feature of the Ugandan approach to BAC is the Malaba One-Stop Border Post (OSBP)
at the Uganda-Kenya border: the OSBP makes cross-border trade and travel faster, more
reliable and cost-effective between these two countries. With the establishment of the OSBP
facilities at Malaba, a significant reduction in crossing time was noted by 2012. Trucks loaded
with goods that used to take over 48 hours dropped to less than six hours, and average border-
crossing time dropped from 24 hours to 4 hours. The total annual savings resulting from the
improved situation have been estimated at approximately 70 MUSD. 154 Since OSBP operations
are being introduced incrementally, further benefits may be expected in the future.
There are also some challenges that slow down the progress of BAC in Uganda. The most
obvious challenges are the lack of funding, as well as basic infrastructure and equipment that
the Ugandan border control agencies have access to. The lack of resources is a major challenge
especially at remote border crossings and borderlands. To overcome these problems, the
Ugandan BAC activities require substantial and continuous financial support and capacity
building efforts. Without these investments, the continuity and further development of the
promising Ugandan BAC approach may be in jeopardy.
Finally, the Table below provides a summary of the key international BAC activities in Uganda.
Several BAC activities are currently operational in Uganda, but further work is required in
order to achieve the full potential of the BAC opportunities.
Table 12. Summary of international BAC activities in Uganda
Report sub-headings Status Related international arrangements
The Malaba One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) Operational Bi-lateral Uganda-Kenya
Harmonization of import regulations of food
and agriculture products
Operational East African Community
EAC Simplified Certificate of Origin Operational East African Community
Trade Helpdesks / Information Desks Operational East African Community
Towards regional AEO program Under
development
WCO CREATe project in East African
Community
Source CBRA analysis
152 WCOexpert interview, 2016
153 Note: the CREATe- project is in line with the WTO TFA and the SAFE Framework of Standards
154 JICA, 2014