TTCA receives funding from the African Development Bank

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has provided institutional support worth 2 million Units of Account, equivalent to US Dollars 3 million, to the Permanent Secretariat of the Northern Corridor Transit Transport Coordination Authority within the framework of the East African Trade and Transport Facilitation project.

The Protocol of Agreement between The Northern Corridor Transit Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) and The African Development Fund (AfDB) was signed in Tunis on 8th February 2007 by the NCTTCA Executive Secretary Mr. Godfrey Onyango and Dr. Mandla S.V. GANTSHO, Vice President Infrastructure, Private Sector and Regional Integration from the African Development Bank.

The Institutional Support to the NCTTCA includes the following components:

Northern Corridor Infrastructure Master Plan

• Preparation of a comprehensive infrastructure master plan for the Northern Corridor to provide long term visibility to the member countries in planning the expansion of Corridor facilities and addressing the institutional, financial, and management issues; and
• Feasibility study and preliminary engineering for three additional one-stop-border post facilities.

Northern Corridor Transit Facilitation Program

• Improvement in the use of the COMESA Customs Document, the Regional Customs Bond Guarantee Scheme and the Transit Carrier Licenses, an integrated review of all the documentation and processes be carried out with the view to harmonize, simplify and facilitate implementation;
• Support to the National Trade and Transport Facilitation Committees and strengthening the Stakeholders Forum in order to enhance their roles in ensuring the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the organs of the NCTTCA, existing national trade and transport facilitation committees (Uganda and Rwanda) should be strengthened and new ones created where they don’t exist (Kenya, Burundi and DRC);
• Study on the harmonization of regulations, procedures and modalities for the implementation of axle load controls of vehicles on the Northern Corridor; and
• Comparative Transport Cost Study to develop an analytical model that can be used for exploring various assumptions and investments options.

Institutional Capacity Building

The recruitment of procurement and IT specialists each for 12 months. In addition short term training for the current staff is also provided.

Project Audit Services

Independent external auditors shall be selected to provide project audit services.

Implementation

Following the signature, an AfDB mission visited the NCTTCA Secretariat on 8th and 9th March for the Technical Launch of the project. During the launch mission the staff members of the NCTTCA Secretariat were acquainted with the relevant procurement and disbursement procedures of the Bank. Meanwhile, the NCTTCA Secretariat has fulfilled all the conditions and the grant took effect from 22nd August 2007.

Regarding institutional ca¬pacity building, the Secretariat has received, from the African Development Bank, the non objection for the selected two specialists in Procurement and IT, for a term of 12 months each. The two specialists have been recruited.

The other components of the project are also being implemented as outlined in separate articles of this enewsletter.