Press Release

Kenya and Uganda Launch RADDEx in Kampala

Customs Data Exchange to Benefit East Africa Region

Kampala, Uganda  | Friday, October 26, 2007

The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) in collaboration with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and with assistance from the ECA Hub successfully launched the use of Revenue Authorities Digital Data Exchange (RADDEx) to electronically exchange customs information among revenue authorities. The launch, held on 26th October at the Serena Hotel in Kampala, was attended by the URA commissioner General, URA Commissioner of Customs and other URA officials, Rwanda Revenue Authority, Kenya Revenue Authority, Tanzania Revenue Authority, USAID East Africa, ECA Hub, the East Africa Community, the Uganda Manufacturers Association, and the Uganda Private Sector Foundation.

The launch involved an animation of the intricate workings of RADDEx and a live simulation of customs data exchange on consignments originating from Mombasa and destined for Kampala. This demonstration involved representatives from the KRA and the URA.  

In his opening speech, the URA Commissioner of Customs Mr. Peter Malinga especially thanked the ECA Hub for continued support of revenue authorities in the region over the years. Other speakers including Mrs. Allen Kagina, the URA Commissioner General, echoed these sentiments and looked forward to further cooperation among countries in order to achieve sustainable development. Mrs. Kagina also called on customs authorities to utilize RADDEx in order for the business community to realize immediate benefits.

The ECA Hub’s Chief of Party Mr. Ron Black commended Uganda and Kenya for their cooperation through KRA and URA, without which RADDEx would not have succeeded. He also encouraged the Rwanda and Tanzania revenue authorities to work with their counterparts from Uganda and Kenya in order to realize the same success.

The RADDEx solution will enable customs data to be communicated instantly from the point of transit origin, through all points of transit, to the point of destination. This advance notification will allow for streamlined processing of goods, increased transparency, increased accuracy in goods verification and risk assessment and will enhance overall efficiency including the avoidance of duplicate data capture at border posts. This data exchange will also reduce customs clearance time which will be beneficial to not only Kenya and Uganda but the entire Eastern Africa region with benefits accrued by the private sector and revenue authorities alike.