Africa-Press – Rwanda. Rwandan traders and freight forwarders have welcomed the renewed agreement between Rwanda and Tanzania, signed on Saturday, July 26, which operationalises the Tanzania Ports Authority’s liaison office in Kigali.
The office is aimed at continuing to ease the clearance of goods for Rwandan businesses, without having to travel to Tanzanian ports, especially Dar es Salaam.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the agreement renewed a deal that was already in place but had expired.
Foreign affairs minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said the deal “will streamline logistics, reduce bottlenecks and enhance trade efficiency” between the two countries.
What importers, freight forwarders say
Speaking to The New Times about the importance of the agreement, Gaspard Muhawenimana, a pharmacist at Medisell Rwanda Ltd, a pharmaceutical importing company, talked about how such a deal eases their importation work, removing the hardships involved in traveling to the ports.
“Often, based on agreements with our suppliers, products are shipped directly and we are required to take over from the port. But delays are common as sometimes, goods are stuck for over a month, which increases their overall cost,” he said, as he pointed at challenges including long queues and bureaucratic processes.
“Having an office here in Kigali will reduce such delays,” he said.
In addition, he pointed out that a liaison office in Kigali can play a role in protecting traders from fraudulent intermediaries.
“We sometimes rely on shipping companies to handle the process on our behalf, but not all of them are professional. The new liaison office gives us a local contact to verify any information before we proceed,” he noted.
Herman Uwizeyimana, General Manager of Fisher Global Ltd, which exports between 15 and 20 containers of chilli annually, said the presence of the port’s office in Kigali comes to solve many problems, for example those related to irresponsible agents.
“We once worked with agents who failed to provide us with accurate information. Our chilli shipment remained stuck at the port for over a month. What had been first-grade quality downgraded to second grade, and we lost $20,000 worth of a $60,000 shipment,” he recalled.
For him, the office in Kigali will ease processes like changing any import details, submitting claims, or following up on the cargo’s status.
David Rwigema, Chairman of the Rwanda Freight Forwarders Association, said the liaison office in Kigali simplifies communication, and reduces delays in port clearance that are sometimes caused by traders not receiving timely updates.
“When the deadline for clearing passes, penalties start piling up. But with a nearby office, you can explain your situation and possibly have the fines reduced. That is not always possible if you have to travel to the port itself,” he said.
John Bosco Kalisa, Vice Chair of Rwanda Council of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), said the office can help resolve any port-related challenges remotely and efficiently.
“Trade between Rwanda and Tanzania has grown steadily over the last five years, and this development can only accelerate that momentum,” he noted.
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