ADVETORIAL
Weekly Online Regional Platform Providing Solution to Cross Border Challenges
T
he trade and logistics sectors in the Northern Corridor Member States has much been overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Northern Corridor region is bracing for tougher times due to the adverse effects that are expected to reverberate through the various economic sectors as well as the supply chains in the predictable future. Directly serving six Member States, namely; Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda, the Northern Corridor is a vast geographical area with a road network covering approximately 12,707km; while the
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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020
railway line extends to about 8,206km within the region. The corridor routes transverses major cities and urban areas, some of which have been marked as COVID-19 hotspots; making the logistics sector inevitably vulnerable to the pandemic and possibly a vector for the transmission of Coronavirus in the region. Inevitably, the most vulnerable groups to the COVID-19 infections include Long Distance Truck Drivers and their assistants due the nature of their work. In general terms, drivers have been experiencing extended stays at the
testing centres and border points as they waited for clearance and making follow ups on the COVID-19 movement requirements. This has resulted into long queues as manifested by those that were reported at some border points. Given the prevailing situation, staff working at Customs, Immigration, Police, Port Health, Standards Agencies, Clearing and Forwarding Agencies, Weighbridges, designated Rest Stops and the Port also require some special attention; given the extra hours work amid the constraining conditions occasioned by the existing containment measures.
