East Africa: Policies, Regulatory Frameworks and Collaboration Among Border Agencies Are Critical to Improving Efficiency of Border Crossings in East Africa

press release

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2013 — Promoting better coordination among border agencies, introducing mandatory pre-arrival customs declaration forms, and establishing an enabling IT system are some of the steps to take for improving efficiency of border crossing in Africa and for lowering the cost of doing business, finds a study just released by the Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP).

"While investing in infrastructure is essential, this response is often overrated," explains Olivier Hartmann, co- author of Border Crossing Monitoring along the Northern Corridor and SSATP Senior Transport Specialist. "Our study indicates that software is as important as the hardware it depends on, if not more so. Inter-agency and inter- country cooperation is vital to border reforms and will ultimately not only generate more revenue for countries but also reduce private sector spending."

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