Nimule Customs Officials to receive One Stop Border Post Training.

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Damali Ssali - acting country director for TradeMark EA, Uganda office greats H.E James Igga - the Vice President of South Sudan after the launch of the Nimule OSBP.

HiPipo Reporter.

TradeMark East Africa will partner with the East African Community secretariat to train Nimule customs’ officials on One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) implementation and management, Damali Ssali, the acting Country Director for TradeMark East Africa, Uganda revealed.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Nimule OSBP, Damali Ssali noted that following the completion of the infrastructure construction, focus will now shift to training trade facilitation officers so as to ensure that the OSBP is optimally utilized.

“The biggest challenge to cross border trade is redtape and bureaucracy. I am glad that the Nimule OSBP will help tackle that issue. We hope that very soon, we shall have customs officials from both countries in this facility clearing goods and facilitating trade,” Damali Ssali said, adding;

“TradeMark EA in partnership with the EAC secretariat is committed and will train officials at the Nimule border in the one stop border post act and controls so that we cut down at the very least 50 per cent of the time take to cross this border, among other benefits.” 

H.E. Dr. James Igga, the Vice President of South Sudan noted that the modern border crossing catalyzed by the new infrastructure and the planned training of customs officials will greatly speed up cargo clearance and improve service delivery to citizens of South Sudan and traders doing business in the country.

The US$ 5 million Nimule One Stop Border Post (OSBP) Project, was funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) through TMEA and undertaken in partnership with the South Sudan Ministry of Transport.

TradeMark EA through its donors and in partnership with the East Africa Community has since 2010 to date invested over US$117 million in the upgrading of 15 OSBPs and access roads in East Africa. These include: Busia/Busia(Kenya/Uganda), Malaba/Malaba (Kenya/Uganda), Kagitumba/Mirama Hills (Rwanda/Uganda), Mutukula/Mutukula (Uganda/Tanzania), Holili/Taveta (Kenya/Uganda), Elegu/Nimule (Uganda/South Sudan), Kobero/Kabanga (Burundi/Tanzania) and Tunduma (Zambia).