Northern Corridor Secretariat Facilitates Bilateral Meetings to Enhance Customs Data Exchange and Trade Facilitation

Kampala, Uganda/Kinshasa, DRC – March 27, 2025: The Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) facilitated bilateral meetings between the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and the DRC Customs Administration (DGDA) to develop a robust customs data exchange system. This initiative aims to address challenges related to data and information exchange, ensuring more efficient trade facilitation between the two countries.

Under the coordination of the NCTTCA, an initial high-level meeting took place in Kampala, Uganda, where top management from URA and DGDA agreed on key system integration activities. This was followed by a technical meeting in Kinshasa, DRC, from March 17–25, 2025. During this session, technical teams from both customs administrations collaboratively developed the Business Requirements Document (BRD) for the integrated system.

The meetings were highly successful, receiving strong backing from the Director General of DGDA, who emphasized the importance of delivering a high-quality system. The planned system integration will enhance data exchange between customs administrations, effectively addressing non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that hinder trade between the DRC and Uganda. By facilitating seamless information sharing, the initiative will reduce fraud, improve revenue collection, and significantly cut down transit times.

Once implemented, the new system will eliminate the need for Uganda Customs to offload DRC-bound transit cargo, as customs officials will have real-time access to necessary information. This milestone marks a significant step toward boosting regional trade efficiency and strengthening economic ties between Northern Corridor Member States.

The NCTTCA continues to play a pivotal role in enhancing trade facilitation and transport infrastructure development among its Member States. Recognizing the need for streamlined customs processes, the Secretariat has been actively coordinating bilateral engagements to foster efficient trade operations.

With the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) having joined the East African Community (EAC), harmonizing customs procedures has become imperative to ensure seamless transit cargo tracking. Notably, concerns have been raised regarding the offloading of transit cargo destined for the DRC in transit countries from the Port of Mombasa.