The Minister of State for Trade, Gen.eraWilson Mbasu Mbadi, has announced plans to engage his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo to resolve long-standing trade barriers that continue to frustrate business between the two countries.
The announcement followed Gen. Mbadi's week-long inspection tour of seven major border posts in the Rwenzori and West Nile regions.
The tour, which focused on trade facilitation, revenue performance, and operational challenges, took him to Mpondwe (Kasese), Ntoroko, Goli (Nebbi), Padea (Zombo), Vurra and Lia (Arua), and Oraba (Koboko).
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Uganda, with support from UKaid through TradeMark Africa, upgraded the Mpondwe, Ntoroko, and Goli crossings into One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) in 2022 to ease cargo clearance and cut costs.
However, Mbadi found the facilities still underutilized.
At Ntoroko, key agencies such as the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and Ministry of Agriculture were absent, while DR Congo border officials were entirely missing.
"Several times we have invited our colleagues from DR Congo for joint border committee meetings, but they never show up," said URA's Ntoroko Customs In-charge, Hamid Juma Aime.
Ugandan traders cited mistreatment in DR Congo, restricted access to markets, losses from multiple currency exchanges, and language barriers as major obstacles.
They also protested the $50 visa fee charged by DRC authorities despite Uganda having waived visa requirements for Congolese nationals under the East African Community (EAC) Common Market Protocol.
"Our people still pay the $50 visa fees to enter DR Congo which increases the cost of doing business, yet for us we scrapped those visa fees," said Mabel Nankya, Immigration Officer at Mpondwe.
Other complaints included high taxes on fish, lack of cold storage facilities, insecurity caused by armed militias forcing early border closures, poor road networks, and inadequate parking space. At Vurra, long queues of cargo trucks stretched up to two kilometres.
Despite the hurdles, trade between Uganda and DR Congo has expanded significantly. Uganda's exports to DR Congo doubled from $500 million in 2020 to more than $1 billion in 2025, making DRC Uganda's largest export market in both the EAC and Comesa regions.
Revenue collection at border posts has also risen. URA reported Shs8.7 billion at Mpondwe in 2024/25, surpassing its Shs8.6 billion target.
Ntoroko rose sharply from Shs196 million in 2022/23 to Shs1.06 billion in 2024/25.
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Lia collections grew from Shs2.6 billion to Shs3.8 billion, while Padea exceeded its target by 172%, collecting Shs1.6 billion.
Gen. Mbadi assured traders that the government would take concrete steps to ease trade, including ministerial-level talks with DRC, new investment in road and energy infrastructure, and tighter border security.
"Very soon, we are going to hold a ministerial meeting with my DR Congo counterpart to iron out all these barriers just like we recently did with Kenya," Mbadi said.
"We remain committed to creating conditions that support cross-border trade, enhance regional cooperation, and ensure smoother, more efficient movement of goods and people."
Community leaders also urged government to improve health services, provide gender-sensitive facilities for women traders, and step up sensitization campaigns to boost tax compliance.
As part of efforts to deepen trade ties, Mbadi is scheduled to extend his visits to the Goli-Mahagi, Padea, and Vurra corridors for further consultations with traders and border officials.
