USAID joins Tanzania Government in cementing Joint Border Committees

On December 11 – 12,  the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will join over 15 Government of Tanzania agencies and  private sector stakeholders to formalize and mainstream Joint Border Committees (JBCs) in Tanzania. JBCs are working groups comprised of government agencies and private sector players responsible for clearing goods at one side of the border. 

These national-level working groups meet formally to solve issues that impede efficient border operations and the clearance of goods across borders.  The two day event  will culminate in a signed Terms of Reference for managing JBCs, which will be implemented by  the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade). JBCs have contributed to a drastic reduction in border crossing times. 

According to a 2010 Canadian Pacific Consulting Services CPCS study, the average border crossing time at Rusumo border, one of the busiest borders between Tanzania and Rwanda, was three to four days in 2009. As a result of JBCs support to improved coordination among government and private sector agencies, the average border crossing time in Rusumo is now less than a half a day. 

 “JBCs facilitate the efficient flow of trade across borders – we are very happy to have USAID as strategic partners in this endeavour,” said Jacqueline M. Maleko, Director General TanTrade.

The USAID East Africa Trade Hub is an important component of President Obama’s Trade Africa initiative, which will increase internal and regional trade within Africa, and expand trade and economic ties between Africa, the United States, and other global markets. 

The Trade Hub supports the East African Community (EAC) Partner States to use Coordinated Border Management.  This concept, promoted by both the World Trade Organization and World Customs Organization,  improves border efficiency and reduces the time and cost of moving goods.  

 USAID’s East Africa Trade Hub’s approach to Coordinated Border Management is called Joint Border Committees (JBCs). The East Africa Trade Hub began  establishing JBCs in the region in 2010. To date, The Trade Hub has established 16 JBCs at ten border crossings along three main corridors of the EAC - seven of these JBCs are at Tanzania borders: Namanga, Sirari, Rusumo, Kabanga, Mutukula, Kasumulu and Tunduma. 

JBCs are nascent institutions that require close coordination and support from the central government. To ensure this support, the Ministry of Industry and Trade recently mandated and provided a budget for TanTrade to act as the lead agency in coordinating all relevant government agencies at Tanzania’s borders in support of JBCs. JBCs are now on the path to becoming sustainable mechanisms for improving the efficiency of trade across Tanzania borders.