Uganda is set to expand its Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) to South Sudan, aiming to tackle diversion, dumping, and theft of goods destined for Juba from ports in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.
Commissioner General Africano Mande of the South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA) and his Ugandan counterpart, John Musinguzi, recently convened in Kampala to discuss implementing a cargo monitoring system between the two nations.
South Sudan has engaged Invesco Uganda Ltd, a Ugandan-based company, to provide real-time valuation of goods, aiming to address revenue losses resulting from inaccurate tax estimations.
Learning from Uganda Revenue Authority’s (URA) cargo tracking system, SSRA seeks to enhance its monitoring capabilities. URA utilizes the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (Rects), with dedicated teams ensuring its stability along trade routes.
Through collaboration, trade between Uganda and South Sudan has flourished, with South Sudan emerging as Uganda’s second-largest export destination in East Africa after Kenya.
Annually, South Sudan exports over 1,500,000 metric tonnes of goods through Uganda from the port of Mombasa.
Uganda established the Electronic Cargo Tracking system in 2014, funded by UKAid, primarily to combat diversion of goods, reduce delays, and lower business costs along the Northern corridor.
The system enables exporters to track their goods in real time online, reducing corruption and risks associated with physical cargo escorting.
Notably, Ugandan truckers on the Juba route have faced challenges from armed groups, leading to theft and violence.
The cargo tracking system expanded regionally in 2017, covering Kenya and Rwanda, and in 2019, extended to the Democratic Republic of Congo, catering to significant cargo transiting through Uganda.
