50% RWANDAN GOODS TRANSIT THROUGH TANZANIA

Kigali — Last year half of Rwanda's imports passed through the Central Corridor route using Dar es Salaam port.

Alexis Nzahabwanimana, the State Minister in charge of Transport was recently addressing participants of the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facility Agency (CCTTFA).

"In 2013, about 50% of Rwanda's imports went through the Central Corridor which underlines the importance of this corridor to Rwanda," Nzahabwanimana said.

He said the Central Corridor is very crucial for Rwanda's international trade since it is shorter than the Northern option.

At 1500 kilometres through the Rusumo border post, the Central Corridor is almost 200 kilometres shorter.

He said, "Rwanda is fully committed to CCTTFA, because geographically the country is connected to the Indian Ocean by two major gateways which are the Northern Corridor that links it to Port Mombasa through Uganda and Kenya and the Central Corridor that links it to Port Dar es Saalam through Rusumo border post."

The Kigali meeting brought together transport ministers and related senior officials from the five countries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.

CCTTFA was formed in September 2006 to cater for the logistical problems of landlockled countries. This was part of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 56/180 on particular needs of Landlocked developing countries from which other declarations and action programmes have evolved.

Nzahabwimana thanked the Tanzania government building roads that connect Rwanda to Dar-es-salaam and the improvements made at the port.

"This supports the flow of goods from Port Dar-es-salaam to Rwanda reducing on the costs of transportation, the time goods spend to get to Rwanda, enhancement of competitiveness of the economies and eradication of poverty among our people," Nzahabwanimana said.

The Tanzania transport minister, Charles Tizeba said their government is also committed to ensuring that the Central Corridor was not only safe and reliable, but also affordable, efficient and cost effective for the Corridor member states.

"The Tanzania government 'Big Result Now' initiative aims at unlocking the Central Corridor through increasing cargo throughput at the Dar es Salaam Port, increasing cargo movement on rails and reducing travel time made by trucks from the port of Dar es salaam to the borders of Burundi, Rwanda and DRC," he said.

"In order to reduce on non-tariff barriers the government is constructing three One Stop Inspection Stations at Vigwaza, Manyoni and Nyakanazi which is aimed at easing movement of trucks to the different countries," he said.

Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania are developing a multinational project on railway from Isaka-Kigali-Keza-Musongati which will link port of Dar-es-salaam to Kigali and Bujumbura.