The government of Rwanda has announced a raft of measures that transporters and clearing agents will use to prevent the spread of Covid 19. The Ministry of Infrastructure issued a public notice yesterday in line with the discussion that the Heads of State of the Partner States held on 12th of May this year.
All incoming cargo destined for Rwanda shall be offloaded at border entry points of Kiyanzi and Kagitumba. For cargo that cargo that cannot be offloaded at designated areas, transshipment services where containers are exchanged from one truck to another is recommended and availed, the notice said.
For cargo that cannot be offloaded or transshipped such as petroleum or perishable goods, trucks will be escorted to their destination at no cost and drivers will be allowed to stop at only designated rest areas for health breaks. They will operate between 6 am and 6 pm.
In the event that offloading is not done within the stipulated time, the drivers will be accommodated at designated areas at importers cost and these facility will guarded to stop any spread. The country will also make available mandatory testing facilities.
Rwanda will also provide customs services as well as Inland Container Depots and warehousing facilities at the border entry points to ensure the safety of the drivers, trucks and the cargo.
Goods will be cleared in one day and in case this is not done in 3 days, the cargo will be transported to Kigali warehouse at importer’s cost. Importers have been encouraged to do pre-clearance on the Single Custom Territory (SCT) framework and declaration document sent to custom electronically.
East Africa Community (EAC) heads of state directed ministers responsible for Health, Trade, Transport and EAC affairs to finalize and adopt an EAC digital surveillance and tracking system for drivers and crew on covid-19 for immediate use by Partner States.
Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Salva Kiir from South Sudan held a consultative meeting through video conference following a joint meeting of Cabinet Secretaries responsible for Health, Trade, Transport and EAC Affairs.
The four heads of state received minister’s report and agreed to adopt a harmonised system for certification and sharing of covid-19 test results.
The meeting directed partner states to prioritize regional value and supply chains to support local production of essential medical products and supplies including masks, sanitizers, soaps, coveralls, face shields, processed food, ventilators as part of efforts to combat covid-19 in the region.
They further directed partner states to facilitate farmers to continue farming activities during this pandemic and post covid-19 period, support agro-processing and value chains as an import substitution measure and establish special purpose financing schemes for small and medium enterprises, to cushion farmers from the negative effects of the covid-19 pandemic.
The heads of state designated the ministers responsible for health, transport and EAC Affairs to be the focal persons for the regional covid-19 response, with the Minister of Health taking lead.
They agreed to meet regularly to address the response efforts and expressed the need for flexibility in the application of the EAC rules and procedures when faced with a crisis such as the covid-19 pandemic.
For any feedback, contacts us via editorial@feaffa.com / info@feaffa.com; Mobile: +254703971679 / +254733780240
