Efforts to ease Kenya-Ethiopia cross border trade in progress

Plans to ease and enhance cross-border trade between Kenyans and Ethiopians are beginning, with the tender for upgrading the Moyale border station being floated today.

The projects by the Ministry of Investments, Trade, and Industry (MITI) are funded by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) trade facilitation programme under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF).

The expansion works worth Sh350 Million will lead to an upgrade of the cross-border infrastructure and equipment through simplification and modernisation of border procedures and processes, enhancing automation and electronic exchange of information among the border agencies, and raising awareness and building capacity of relevant stakeholders.

Consequently, it will ease the movement of people and goods through the automation of the border post's infrastructure.

On Thursday, the government published the most recent tender for the supply, delivery, installation, and commissioning of 150 kilowatts of solar PV systems at the border post.

Other tenders floated last year for the project set to be completed this year included the design and construction of a sewer system, public toilets, and a cold room. A hazardous room and a transshipment shed are amongst other items.

Another tender was for the supply of ICT equipment, mini-lab equipment, and furniture for the project aimed at deepening regional integration, improving inclusive regional economic growth, and enhancing the competitiveness of the COMESA region.

"The specific objectives of the project are to increase intra-regional trade flows of goods, persons, and services by reducing the costs/delays of imports/exports at specific border posts through reduction of non-tariff barriers, implementation of digital Free Trade Area, the World Trade Organisation's Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), and improvements of coordinated border management and liberalization of trade in services and free movement of persons," MITI notes on its website.

Kenya is among the 21 member states of COMESA; whose trade integration agenda includes a functioning Free Trade Area that is currently operational in 16 member countries including Kenya.

According to the International Migration Organisation (IMO), the project focuses on the facilitation of small-scale cross-border trade, particularly ensuring that the development and implementation of these procedures are gender mainstreamed and vulnerability-sensitive.

"The activities proposed in this project have been designed to support the realization of; efficient trade and mobility processes at Moyale, enabling Kenyan and Ethiopian border officials to demonstrate an increased capacity to efficiently manage issues related to small-scale trade and human mobility at Moyale; and reduce the instances of harassment and corruption faced by women and other vulnerable groups at the border post all in efforts to enhance small-scale cross-border trade and mobility at the Kenya-Ethiopia border overall," the organisation notes.

Moyale is part of the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Corridor (LAPSET) and an important crossing point joining the region's two economic giants of Kenya and Ethiopia.

The one-stop border point was completed in 2018 and officially launched in 2020.