The Holili Kenya-Tanzania border post will start implementing the East African Community's idea of a One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) in May. An OSBP lets persons, goods and vehicles make a single stop to exit one country and enter another.
“The purpose of an OSBP is to reduce the time goods and passengers take to cross the border from one country to another. Traffic stops only once – in the country of entry – where all the formalities are carried out. Stopping just once saves time, and additional time is saved thanks to good infrastructure, modern office facilities, use of ICT for data exchange and administration, and modern controls like risk management (fast track for compliant traders) and post-clearance auditing,” said Theo Lyimo, Director, Integrated Border Management & One Stop Border Posts at Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA).
Lyimo said in East Africa, OSBPs were being introduced at approximately 13 border crossings. He said successful OSBPs would ultimately contribute to increased trade for the countries in the region as the cost of trading was reduced and the products became more competitive in global markets.
He said the cost of an OSBP varied with size and location. “The cost of those being funded by TMEA ranges from about US $4.5 million to US $7.5 million. The funding is in the form of a grant. Other donors are the World Bank, JICA and the African Development Bank.”
Lyimo said the project would be completed on the Tanzanian side in June and on the Kenyan side in October. “Construction of infrastructure and buildings will be completed at the end of the month, and border officials will move into the new facilities in May. However, construction on the Kenya side (Taveta) will not be completed until October. Despite this, if the Kenya authorities are willing, OSBP controls can start immediately. We do not have to wait until construction on both sides is complete,” he said.
