The East African Community (EAC) has called for a new generation of digital and technology-driven border reforms to sustain rising regional trade volumes, following a monitoring and fact-finding mission to the Namanga and Horohoro/Lungalunga One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs).
The assessment found that the One Stop Border Posts have significantly improved the movement of goods and people by reducing border crossing times and boosting trade. However, the regional bloc warned that staffing shortages, ageing infrastructure and delays by regulatory agencies continue to undermine border efficiency and increase the cost of doing business.
The mission, led by EAC Deputy Secretary General for Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs Annette Ssemuwemba, also reviewed the implementation of the EAC Simplified Trade Regime (STR), which is designed to ease cross-border trade for small-scale traders by reducing procedural barriers and improving access to preferential markets.
Speaking during the visit on Monday, Ssemuwemba said the OSBP model had delivered measurable benefits but required further modernisation to accommodate growing trade volumes.
"The One Stop Border Posts have delivered tangible benefits in facilitating trade and the movement of people. However, increasing trade volumes require us to modernise our border operations through business process re-engineering, digitalisation, coordinated border management and greater use of risk-based controls. We must remove the remaining bottlenecks that increase the cost of doing business and undermine the competitiveness of our region," she said.
She urged Partner States to strengthen coordination among border agencies, invest in modern infrastructure, address staffing shortages and accelerate the automation of border processes to improve cargo and passenger movement.
The mission established that both Namanga and Horohoro/Lungalunga OSBPs continue to play an increasingly strategic role in regional trade, recording higher cargo volumes, increased passenger traffic and improved revenue collection under the EAC Customs Union.
At Namanga, officials reported that the border handled approximately 66,500 cargo trucks, 23,000 private vehicles and 48,400 export consignments over the past 12 months. Passenger clearance has been reduced to an average of three minutes, while private vehicles now take about 15 minutes to clear. The availability of round-the-clock passenger services has also enhanced cross-border mobility.
Officials at the Horohoro/Lungalunga border attributed sustained growth in cargo and passenger traffic to closer collaboration between Kenyan and Tanzanian agencies and improved implementation of the Simplified Trade Regime, which has lowered customs costs for small-scale traders.
Despite these gains, stakeholders identified several operational and infrastructure challenges. Delays in approvals from multiple government agencies were cited as a major cause of prolonged cargo clearance, resulting in longer truck turnaround times, higher storage costs and missed delivery schedules, particularly for perishable goods.
Stakeholders also highlighted inadequate staffing during peak trading periods, limited truck parking, the absence of cargo scanners and weighbridges, ageing facilities, insufficient sanitation amenities and the lack of dedicated customer help desks.
During the tour, the EAC welcomed Tanzania's allocation of TZS 600 million in the 2026/27 financial year to construct a new truck parking yard at Namanga, describing the investment as a key step towards easing congestion and improving border efficiency.
The monitoring mission will continue to Kobero/Kabanga, Rusumo/Rusumo, Mirama Hills/Kagitumba and Gatuna/Katuna One Stop Border Posts, with its findings expected to guide regional policy reforms aimed at strengthening the EAC Customs Union, improving border performance and increasing intra-EAC trade.