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High praise for UK funded tracking system in East Africa

[ December 4, 2024   //   ]

A UK-funded cargo tracking system has been praised in a flagship report about digital innovation in trade facilitation.

The UK-funded cargo tracking system Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS) in East Africa has been singled out for praise in a report by TradeMark Africa’s Trade Development Forum 2024.

It said that RECTS has significantly improved security and by consolidating and enhancing monitoring of transit cargo on the Northern Corridor from Mombasa to Bujumbura in Burundi. It also benefits Rwanda, and Uganda – and is soon to benefit the DRC. It has cut the transit time of cargo trucks from Mombasa to Kampala from 21 days to just 4-5 days, whilst the Uganda Revenue Authority reported that the tracking system has saved over USD 1 million in physical escort costs for more than 20,000 consignments.

The web-based system works tracks goods from Mombasa Port to destinations across East Africa, and, by ensuring that goods travel exactly where they are supposed to, has helped participating countries foster a more transparent, efficient, and competitive market environment.

RECTS also employs rapid response teams along the Northern Corridor to address any tampering or detours in real time which has also helped ensure driver safety by deterring the once frequent thefts of goods, when drivers would often be assaulted.

The report said that other digital trade enhancements funded by the UK are the Integrated Cargo Management System (ICMS) which has reduced clearance time for air freight from an average of 2 days to 2-3 hours and has enabled the Kenya Revenue Authority to increase customs revenue and other taxes on international trade.

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