Safe Trade Zones

Safe Trade Zones are trading areas constructed at high traffic business routes with architecultural design that incorporate safety and hygienic measures and other COVID-19 health protocols. These enable formal and informal cross-border traders to carry on their business operations despite restrictions.

We provided technical support for the creation of Safe Trade Zones in the following border markets.

  • Ongoing construction at Busia Safe Trade Market at Soko Posta, Kenya, on land allocated by the County Government of Busia. The market will accomodate 300 women traders.
  • Construction of Tog-Wajaale Market, Somaliland, was completed and occupied by 200 traders.
  • Construction of Tog-Wajaale Market, Ethiopia, was completed and occupied.
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Summary of 2020-2021 interventions

PORTS

  1. Design for Rubavu Port was completed and construction started.
    • Detailed design for Rusizi Port was ongoing.
    • Design and preparation of tender documentation for Karongi-Nkora Ports was completed.
  2. TMEA developed design works for Lake Kivu and Rubavu-Rusizi Ports in Rwanda in readiness for construction and upgrading Ntoroko (Uganda) Port infrastructure after construction Mombasa Port terminal contracts were signed.

ONE-STOP BORDER POSTS

Construction of physical infrastructure for One-Stop Border Posts and adoption of One-Stop Controls at five border crossing points across Eastern Africa progressed. Since 2010, TMEA has overseen successful construction and operationalisation of 15 OSBPs which have delivered multiple benefits. These include facilitating faster movement of goods and persons across borders by combining activities of neighbouring countries at a single location, which reduces the number of stops in a cross-border transaction. Progress was made in supporting the following OSBPs:

  1. Following the official launch of Moyale OSBP in December 2020, and operationalisation in June 2021, relevant officials of Kenya and Ethiopia are now jointly conducting exit and entry formalities.
  2. A contactor was procured for Goli OSBP, Uganda, and the project progressed to 24.12 percent. Meanwhile, the overall construction of Mahagi OSBP (DRC-Uganda Border) progressed at 25 percent.

ROADS

  1. Hargeisa Bypass - Physical project progress of the high-priority construction of Hargeisa Bypass, funded by UKaid, progressed to 35 percent, with a ground breaking ceremony carried out in May 2021. The Bypass will decongest Somaliland Capital, Hargeisa, and reduce transportation time from Berbera to Tog-Wajaale border crossing with Ethiopia..
  2. Roads at Mombasa Port, Kenya - Funded by UKaid and the Kenya Ports Authority, the 1.2km Kipevu Road was completed and currently in use. The road will contribute to reduction by more than half in truck turnaround time from the respective Container Freight Stations (CFS) to the Port and back to the CFSs. Kipevu Road introduces an alternative multi-lane road within Mombasa West, which will ease traffic flow and improve operating speeds for trucks bound to the numerous container freight stations.

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR VALUE CHAINS

  1. A transaction advisory consultant was contracted to guide the commercial and financial close of Phase 1a of Kilifi Eco-Industrial Park and develop a bankable financial model to be used to, among others, provide accurate financial information to potential investors.
  2. The Kigali Wholesale Market for Fresh Produce project progressed to 25 percent, with completion of a detailed design. The market will help to streamline agro-logistics in Kigali.