Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda Monday jointly launched a Single Custom Territory to boost business among the partner States.
In a communique issued at the end of the 3rd Integration Projects Summit in Kigali, the four partner States agreed to eliminate the remaining Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) through the Single Custom Territory.

The Summit, which was attended by Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta, Yoweri Museveni, Salva Kiir and Paul Kagame, resolved to ensure that transit cargo is equipped with an electronic system by January 2014 for ease of monitoring through the corridor.

The leaders also agreed that all partner States should comply with the requirement that transit cargo should be weighed once at the point of entry into each member State territory.

"Partner States should establish a legal committee to analyse the joint implementation of Axle Load issues,” the leaders agreed.

The Summit was convened to review the progress on implementation of the decisions reached during the 2nd Infrastructure Summit held in Mombasa on August 28 and to provide direction on deepening of regional integration.

After reviewing the Ministerial Report, the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and the One Stop Border Post Agreement that were signed during the Ministerial session, the leaders directed each partner State to provide comprehensive information on existing power generation capacities and investment programs within its jurisdiction.

They called for consultations to be carried out between Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan on the joint development of a crude oil pipeline project.

The leaders agreed that heads of immigration, security organs, finance and tourism should discuss the waiving of visa fees for African nationals in November this year and be concluded before the next summit.

"Heads of State will launch the East Africa Tourist Visa and the use of ID as travel documents during the 4th of Summit,” the communique said in part.

On the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) development, Presidents Kenyatta, Museveni, Kiir and Kagame agreed that Kenya would share their SGR detailed design standards by November 2013 while Uganda develops a draft SGR Protocol for discussion in the same month.