By Irene Kabakama
Africano Mande, the Commissioner General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA) recently visited his counterpart John Musinguzi the Commissioner General of the Uganda Revenue Authority to discuss plans on implementing a new cargo monitoring system.
At a meeting held at the URA headquarters in Nakawa, Mande announced the collaboration between SSRA and INVESCO, a company that will provide cargo-tracking technology.
“Collections from Customs have been low, pushing us to make tough decisions to improve. Invesco’s services will help us improve collections and even exceed our targets,” he said.
Mande stated that they hope to learn from URA’s experience with cargo tracking technology and also integrate with their system. URA uses the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS) to monitor goods in transit.
In his remarks, Musinguzi noted that URA is open to system integration, highlighting collaborations between the authorities over the years.
“Let us ensure that we use technology for its intended purpose to improve the administration and management of cargo,” he advised.
The meeting was also attended by South Sudan’s Ambassador to Uganda, Simon Juach Deng who reaffirmed his country’s willingness to support Uganda in her trade facilitation efforts.
Meanwhile, URA and SSRA have collaborated on several initiatives over the years and last year, they signed a bilateral agreement in which they committed to continuing their cooperation on trade facilitation projects.
Due to these collaborations, trade between the two nations has increased, with South Sudan now becoming Uganda’s second-most popular export destination in East Africa.
