The US$6.2million Project is funded by European Union through the IOM and TradeMark will provide a modern efficient border crossing for cargo and human traffic between DRC and Rwanda, two leading trade partners in the East African region.
Ruzizi 2, 23rd November 2022: The construction of the Democratic Republic of Congo Ruzizi 2 One Stop Border Post (OSBP) in Bukavu is set to start, following the project site handover to the project contractor Younjin Construction Inc by the Government of DRC. The OSBP is funded by the European Union (EU) through the International Organisation for Immigration (IOM) and TradeMark Africa (TMA).
The project will be undertaken in partnership with the Directorate of General Custom and Excise (DGDA) and Directorate of General Immigration (DGM) and is expected to greatly enhance and ease movement of goods and people between DRC and Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region in general.
Ruzizi 2 is mainly used by heavy trucks and small traders destined to and from Bukavu. The border post is characterised by small and old infrastructure and unharmonised procedures that hinder smooth flow of goods and people at the border post.
Construction of Ruzizi II OSBP is scheduled to take 10 months to complete and will include among other facilities a main administrative building and facilities for immigration verification, parking for cargo trucks, sanitation facilities, access road and entry and exit gates. Implementation of Integrated Border Management (IBM) will facilitate smooth and efficient cross border movement of goods and people between Rwanda and DRC. With this, border officials from Rwanda and DRC will sit under one roof and have harmonised immigration and customs procedures enabling users to stop only once at the country of destination as opposed to the traditional two stops. The modern post will cater for heavy truck traffic, small scale traders and passengers.
Speaking during the Site Handover Ceremony the Governor for South Kivu province Mr. Kasi Theo expressed confidence that the project will boost the already strong ties between DRC and Rwanda and the wider Great Lakes Region. The governor of South Kivu Mr. Kasi Theo underlines that “Ruzizi 2 project will promote trade, consolidate sub-regional economic integration, and reduce inter-community tensions. The materialization of this project will stimulate economic development and strengthen the economic integration of the country” noted the Governor.
IOM Senior Regional Programme Manager Erica De Bona Fofana expects the new OSBP to spur development and trade in DRC and in the wider region “Our collaboration with the government of South Kivu was that of a united team, a process of positive appropriation of the results of the project on the part of the provincial authorities. We hope that this border post can become in the future an accelerated and inclusive development tool for the population of South Kivu.” said Erica
TradeMark Africa DRC Country Director Aime Nzoyihera welcomed the start of the project, explaining that the key border crossing had for long been served by old inadequate infrastructure, ill-suited for the growing trade and human traffic between the neighbouring countries. “With Ruzizi II OSBP we shall have adequate facilities for border agencies, clear operational flow of cargo and human traffic and harmonized border procedures. All these result in greater efficiencies that enhance trade in line with TMA’s mandate”
TMA has supported construction and operationalization of fifteen OSBPs in the Eastern Africa region which have seen time to cross some of the busiest borders in the region drop by an average of 70 percent.
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