NCTTCA 35th ANNIVERSARY
NCTTCA Makes Major Strides 35 Years On
T
he Northern Corridor Transit Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) has made tremendous gains and enhanced cooperation among the Member States of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan, since its inception 35 years ago. The Authority was established in 1985 through a treaty known as the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Agreement (NCTTA). It was ratified in 1986. The Agreement which was reviewed in 1996 and 2007 and later accented by South Sudan in 2012 has 11 protocols aimed at fostering cooperation and facilitating interstate and transit trade among the Member States. The Authority has a permanent secretariat headquartered in Mombasa, Kenya. Among the milestones made by
the Authority include elimination of multiple security bonds and multiple customs declarations; Creation of implementing institutions in Member States such as Road Authorities, Road Maintenance Funds, National Road Safety Authorities and Revenue Authorities. It has equally interfaced Customs Systems andestablishedjoint verification of multiple Customs documents; besides introducing High Speed-WeighIn-Motion Systems to reduce multiple weighbridges along the corridor. The Northern Corridor has also focused on the decongestion of Mombasa Port by streamlining and automating the procedures and operations; and domesticating some RECs polices such as the implementation and effective monitoring of EAC Vehicle Load Control (VLC) and some COMESA
Trade Facilitation Instruments. It has similarly harmonised National Customs Laws and Instruments. Additionally, the Authority has initiated the implementation of a number of initiatives that have revolutionised the efficiency and performance of the corridor. These include -The Single Customs Declaration Document; The Single Customs Territory (SCT); The Transport Observatory with its GIS component - online monitoring tool which measures the performance of the Northern Corridor Vis-a-Vis set targets; Monitoring the implementation of the Mombasa Port and Northern Corridor Charter; Monitoring the implementation of the Vehicle Load Control (VLC) Charter and its Communication Strategy. The Sustainable Green Freight Transport Programme along the corridor has also been drawn; AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW Jan/March 2021
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