The Lower Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday paved way for the ratification of the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Agreement.

The Northern Corridor is the transport route connecting Rwanda to the Kenyan port of Mombasa through Uganda.

The State Minister in charge of Transport, Dr. Alexis Nzahabwanimana, told MPs that ratifying the agreement would, among other things, facilitate the removal of Non Trade Barriers along the route.

The agreement which has eleven Protocols was signed in Nairobi in 2007 between the Governments of Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, and Uganda.

Nzahabwanimana noted that obstacles, especially physical and non physical barriers or Non Tariff Barriers (NTB’s), will jointly be checked. He explained that it could also result into a reduction in transport costs thus enabling an increase of investments into the country.

According to the minister, because of these barriers, there is a delay in exports and imports to and from sea ports, eventually making goods costly and the ultimate added cost is felt by the consumer.

He said the ratification is in line with enhancing ease of transport of people and goods and eradicating barriers to the former, between regional countries using the Northern Corridor.

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