The Rwanda Professional Truck Drivers’ Union, which comprises cross-border truck drivers and logistics experts, has welcomed the decision by Rwanda and Tanzania to boost trade and investment relations, saying this will benefit them significantly. This follows President Paul Kagame’s visit to Tanzania over the weekend. During his visit, he met his Tanzanian counterpart President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Both leaders pledged to address non-tariff barriers (NTBs) in order to expand trade and investment and fully utilise opportunities within the region. ALSO READ: Kagame urges stronger trade systems between Rwanda-Tanzania Non-tariff barriers are mainly non-tax measures that restrict trade, such as prolonged border delays, bureaucratic procedures, restrictive licensing, and stringent product standards. Noel Nkurikiye, Secretary General of the Rwanda Professional Truck Drivers’ Union and a member of the National Monitoring Committee (NMC) on Non-Tariff Barriers in Rwanda—a specialised body tasked with identifying, monitoring, and eliminating trade bottlenecks to facilitate smoother trade within the EAC—said various NTBs continue to affect cross-border trade. ALSO READ: Kagame meets with Tanzania’s Suluhu He noted that weighbridges for transit trucks have become significant non-tariff barriers due to their excessive number, leading to prolonged delays. “There were seven weighbridges, and although they have been reduced to three, enforcement remains weak. A truck driver can spend up to two hours at a single weighbridge, amounting to as much as 14 hours across seven weighbridges due to heavy traffic,” he said. The three key weighbridges are now concentrated along major corridors, including Vigwaza in the Coastal Region, Njuki in Singida, and Nyakahura in the Kagera Region. According to Nkurikiye, trucks crossing the Rusumo border are also charged a monthly hygiene fee of $5. At the same time, Rwandans entering Tanzania are required to pay $100 every three months, as they are classified as small traders due to frequent cross-border movement, which in turn restricts labour mobility. ALSO READ: Kagame, Tanzania foreign minister discuss bilateral ties Regional economic analyst John Bosco Kalisa said Tanzania is a strategic business partner for Rwanda, serving as a key trade and transport route for the country’s imports and exports. “I believe the visit by His Excellency was necessary and timely to unlock trade and investment opportunities between the two sister countries.” “However, non-tariff barriers remain numerous, including delays at the port of Dar es Salaam, multiple police checks and roadblocks, unnecessary administrative procedures with the Tanzania Revenue Authority, numerous weighbridges en route, and corruption at border posts as well as at weighbridges,” he explained. Tanzania is Rwanda’s key trading partner. More than 70 per cent of Rwanda’s cargo passes through Tanzania ports. Presidents Kagame and Suluhu discussed measures to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, transport and infrastructure, energy, defence and security, immigration, as well as coordination of their countries’ positions on regional and international issues. ALSO READ: EA leaders explore ways to establish joint oil refinery The two Presidents also discussed the development of railway and road infrastructure, including the Isaka–Kigali railway project, which aims to accelerate the transportation of goods and enhance trade efficiency between the two countries. In the energy sector, the leaders discussed the Rusumo Hydropower Project, involving Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, with a generation capacity of 80 megawatts. They also reviewed electricity trade arrangements between the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) and the Rwanda Energy Group (REG), aimed at boosting economic activity for the benefit of both countries.
