Translogistics

17 May 2013, Malaba At least 400 clearing and forwarding agents based at one of the busiest border posts on the Kenya-Uganda border have signed up for the East Africa Customs Freight forwarding Practicing Certificate (EACFFPC); a top notch regional training program that is equipping participants with the relevant skills and knowledge to enable them meet the demands of increased trade in the region.

The programme which is run by the region s apex freight logistics governing body, Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (FEAFFA) in partnership with TradeMark East Africa ( TMEA¹ ), is soon going to be a mandatory licensing requirement for all clearing and forwarding agents in the EAC by end of 2013.

Speaking at the launch of the border post class, Executive Director of FEAFFA John Mathenge said, All these initiatives are aimed at moving this region forward. TradeMark has committed over 1.5 Million dollars to this program, we are proud of their partnership and that of the national associations and revenue authorities that have given us support that has seen them commit their staff and time. We are excited at the opportunity that the Busia-Malaba border class will offer the industry in terms of professionalizing it to further ensure it operates efficiently and cost effectively.

Ms Elizabeth Opondo an official from Kenya Revenue Authority added that the training was important to Kenya Revenue authority. Speaking on behalf of the station manager, she said, As an authority we are committed to enhancing professionalism in cross boarder trade. As Kenya Revenue Authority it is our desire to engage professionally with the clearing fraternity that can articulate customs laws and regulations.

Echoing her sentiments, Mr Geoffrey Balamaga, the regional manager Uganda Revenue Authority added that the joint boarder training in Busia and Malaba was a remarkable milestone. Speaking on behalf of Mr Richard Kamajugo Commissioner Customs, he said that Uganda Revenue Authority was committed to removing Tariff and Non-Tariff trade barriers, simplifying and automating customs procedures. He added that, Uganda Revenue Authority has invested in various ICT applications aimed at enhancing coordination among various agencies in and across boarders.

The regional training programme was developed by FEAFFA in collaboration with the East Africa Revenue Authorities. With support from TMEA² , the programme is being implemented regionally under the stewardship of the Curriculum Implementation Committee (CIC), a joint committee of the FEAFFA/National Freight Forwarders Associations and Revenue Authorities. The joint boarder classes have been launched with support among the various customs and freight logistics agencies in Kenya and Uganda. The launch also saw the awarding of certificates to accredited trainers who completed the Training of trainers (ToT) courses carried out to cater for the need to build capacity of facilitators for the EACFFPC program.

Ms Vicky Kamanguza, the EACFFPC Regional Training Coordinator explained that the purpose of the launch was to acknowledge the efforts by the EACFFPC and its stakeholders to put together not just one but eight classes that would cater to the 400 students. The eight classes comprise two from the Kenya-Malaba border, two on the Malaba-Uganda border and four in Busia, she said. So far we can confirm that in Uganda 119 students have fully registered to attend the class in Malaba and 90 will attend the class in Busia. In Kenya 75 students will go to class in Malaba while 106 attend the Busia class.

Busia is the busiest border crossing between Kenya and Uganda while the border town of Malaba that is situated approximately 5 kilometres to the north on the Uganda-Kenya border is the second busiest crossing point along their common border.

The two borders are flooded with heavy commercial traffic in both directions. Goods from Uganda such as cash crops like coffee, cotton and timber are destined daily for the Kenyan port of Mombasa for export and foodstuffs like fish, bananas, pineapples and mangoes, maize, beans, groundnuts, sorghum destined for the Kenyan market also come across. In the opposite direction, Uganda imports petroleum products, manufactured goods and household items like cooking oil, soap, clothing, electronics and automobiles.

A report carried by The East African newspaper recently indicated that trade within the East African Community is expected to receive a major boost after Kenya prioritized the construction of five special border posts in its budget. According to the report, a pilot post at Malaba on Kenya s border with Uganda has reduced cargo clearance from two days to just two hours.

TradeMark East Africa s ( TMEA³ ) Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Scott Allen who also attended the launch said, The EACFFPC is an initiative that TradeMark East Africa is committed to in our efforts to realize regional economic integration in the EAC by strengthening human resource and institutional capacity. He added, TradeMark East Africa undertakes a holistic approach towards the facilitation of trade by identifying choke points and creating solutions to address them. Some of these solutions include programs such as 7 One stop boarder posts (OSBP s) whose aim is to reduce transit costs incurred in cross-border movement by combining the activities of both country s border organizations and agencies at either a single common location; Single Window Portals that will improve the management and access of documents and information by making them available online; Transport observatories which are an effort to collect data and information in real time for ships at ports; and the reduction of Non Tariff Barriers (NTB s)

The new class at the borders follows on the heels of the successful graduation of 100 clearing and forwarding agents in Uganda.

The next regional intake for the EACFFPC programme is scheduled for June 2013 and the call for applications is underway. The announcement is expected to be published in the public media to ensure all clearing agents are aware of the looming deadline of December 2013 when the certificate will become a pre-condition for any clearing agent to receive an operational license for the year starting January 2014.

For more information please contact⁴

The freight logistics industry in East Africa has been largely characterised by poor business practices due to an inadequate skills pool and limited use of modern technologies. With more than 40% of the business costs accruing to transport and logistics, there is increasing appreciation of the importance of this sector in international trade. In this context, clearing and forwarding agents are recognised as a key player in international trade logistics. Attempts by both the public and private sectors to raise the professional standard within the industry with a view to improve business practices and promote compliance have gained momentum.

A regional training program, the East Africa Customs and Freight Forwarding Practising Certificate (EACFFPC), has been developed by FEAFFA in collaboration with the East African Revenue Authorities. With support from TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), the programme is being implemented regionally under the stewardship of the Curriculum Implementation Committee (CIC), a joint committee of the FEAFFA/national freight forwarders associations and Revenue Authorities. To date, close to 2000 clearing and forwarding agents have been trained. By the end of 2013, qualification under the programme is expected to become a precondition for licensing of Customs agents.

Through financial support from TMEA, FEAFFA and the Revenue Authorities are expanding the delivery capacity of the training facilities within the five EAC member states to hasten the attainment of the desired critical mass of 4500 trained agents in East Africa. TMEA s assistance has enabled FEAFFA to review the EACFFPC s framework, update its curriculum and training materials, and hire 6 training coordinators. Further support will be provided to FEAFFA national associations to train trainers, issue Certificates of Competence (for those exempted to undergo training) and carry out training activities for the next two years beginning 2012.

Expected Results

• Enable the trainees to discharge their roles competently as Customs Agents;
• Entrench professionalism in cargo clearing and forwarding;
• Provide a common standard for professional practice and accreditation within the cargo clearing and forwarding industry across East Africa;
• Enhance ethical conduct, good governance and integrity in the profession; and
• Facilitate trade.

For more information contact⁵ : Silas Kanamugire at silas.kanamugire@trademarkea.com⁶

About TRADEMARK EAST AFRICA

TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) is a not-for-profit organization funded by a range of development agencies to promote regional trade and economic integration in East Africa by working closely with East African Community (EAC) institutions, national governments, and private sector and civil society organizations.

TMEA seeks to support East African integration by unlocking economic potential through:

• A reduction in transport and related costs along the key corridors in East Africa;
• Supporting EAC institutions to develop a comprehensive framework for regional integration;
• Supporting partner states to substantially increase the implementation of a comprehensive framework for regional integration; and
• Engaging private sector and civil society to positively influence regional integration policies and practices for growth in trade.

TMEA is focused on ensuring gains from trade result in tangible gains for East Africans, in line with the EAC s Development Strategy. Increased trade contributes to increased economic growth and subsequently reduced poverty. Our focus is not just on big business, rather ensuring that trade results in as many pro- poor gains as possible, especially for women. TMEA has its headquarters in Nairobi with branches in Arusha, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Juba, Kampala and Kigali.

To find out more please visit the TMEA website at www.trademarkea.com⁷

The Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (FEAFFA) is an apex body of Freight Forwarders Associations in the five countries of the East African Community formed in 2005. It is registered and domiciled in the United Republic of Tanzania in 2006 but its Secretariat is situated in Nairobi, Kenya.

Our main focus is professionalizing the industry, provision of information, and advocacy for an effective freight logistics industry in the East African region.

FEAFFA main activities

• Advise National Associations on matters relating to freight forwarding and related activities;
• Promote the image of the Freight Forwarding Industry through public relations;
• Establish and maintain contacts with respective government institutions related to the operations of members and assist, through research and formulation of policies beneficial to the freight forwarding fraternity.
• Spearhead training of members of the national associations, and professionalize the function of the Freight Forwarding Industry.
• Establish professional standards for the Freight Forwarding Industry. FEAFFA runs the EACFFPC certificate course jointly with the East African Revenue Authorities. This course is now a mandatory for all freight logistics service providers in the East African region.
• Evolve, maintain and police a code of conduct for the Freight Forwarding Industry in the Region, to sustain ethics and integrity among member associations and their members. FEAFFA has a code of conduct that guides all practitioners in the east African region.
• Build the capacity of freight forwarders in key emerging issues affecting the freight logistics industry at regional and global level.

Contact⁸ Details for Officials at FEAFFA Secretariat

To find out more please visit the FEAFFA website at www.feaffa.com⁹

References

1. ^{^} TMEA (www.trademarkea.com)
2. ^{^} TMEA (www.trademarkea.com)
3. ^{^} TMEA (www.trademarkea.com)
4. ^{^} contact (www.trademarkea.com)
5. ^{^} contact (www.trademarkea.com)
6. ^{^} silas.kanamugire@trademarkea.com (www.trademarkea.com)
7. ^{^} www.trademarkea.com (www.trademarkea.com)
8. ^{^} Contact (www.trademarkea.com)
9. ^{^} www.feaffa.com (www.feaffa.com)