The National Revenue Authority (NRA) is set to secure an electronic integrated cargo tracking system for its officials to monitor South Sudan’s cargo on transit from Mombasa to Juba.

The move came following the promise by Trade Mark East Africa regional director to support electronic integrated cargo tracking system for the NRA.

Speaking to journalists at Juba International Airport yesterday upon arrival from a Kenya where he attended a meeting with his Kenyan counterpart, the NRA Commissioner-General Dr. Olympio Attipoe said in the next two to three weeks, NRA will sign a memorandum of understanding with Trade Mark East Africa and in the next two to three weeks, the project will start. “The electronic integrated tracking system is to make sure that we monitor our cargos from Mombasa port to South Sudan. The significance of this is that at time when the cargos have been dispatched for South Sudan,they end up not coming , both Kenya and South Sudan losing the revenue because of the collaboration between people to divert cargo from the government,” said Olympio.

He said the system will provide transparency in the cargo system from Mombasa to South Sudan and will boost revenue generation.

In another development, Dr. Olympio said that Trade Mark East Africa has agreed to pay some commitments and obligations that the NRA has not paid to international community such as World Custom Organization to allow South Sudan enter into World custom activities.

“South Sudan over the past three to four years has not paid their obligation to international custom community so Trade Mark East Africa has signed to pay that money to make sure that we enter into world custom activities so that we benefit from the capacity building,” Olympio said.

“So far the total amount will be 70,000 US Dollars that will be paid to both international and regional bodies as commitment to World Custom Organization and East Africa at the regional level. The money will be paid by Trade Mark East Africa because of the agreement we have reached with them through my mission,” he revealed.

Dr. Olympio said if the money is paid, South Sudan National Revenue Authority will become part of the international community of customs. He said Kenya has developed good technology on scanning and tracking system that officials from the South Sudan NRA have to learn. Dr. Olympio urged the government to package massages that would be presented when officials go out to meet their counterparts in order to come back with concrete information to promote government activities and policies.

Source: Juba Monitor

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