Kampala: Multiple weighbridges, lack of harmonised axle load limit control and numerous roadblocks, especially on the Northern Corridor route are still impeding the smooth flow of trade, leading to increased costs of doing business in the region. The acting Executive Secretary, Permanent Secretariat of the Transit Transport Coordination Authority of the Northern Corridor, Mr Philip Mwanthi, decried the presence of non-tariff barriers (NTBs), which he said have made the Northern Corridor the most expensive route in Africa.
NTBs account for over 40 per cent of the cost of trade along the Northern Corridor, which costs are then passed on to consumers in form of high commodity and service prices.
Being landlocked, Uganda relies on the Northern Corridor for the largest fraction of transporting its import and export cargo. The route also serves other countries such as Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cumbersome customs procedures, long truck queues, poor road infrastructure and slow progress on the railway system are some of the other factors identified as big obstacles to regional trade.
