MINISTRY OF FOREIGN TRADE: FOCUS ON THE MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING RELATING TO THE STRENGTHENING OF TRADE BETWEEN THE DRC AND UGANDA AND THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE NATIONAL AGENCY FOR THE PROMOTION OF EXPORTS-ANAPEX AND UGANDA FREE ZONES AND EXPORT PROMOTIONS AUTHORITY SIGNED ON MAY 11, 2026 AT THE STATE ENTEBBE HOUSE
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Signed before the Congolese and Ugandan Presidents on May 11 at the State House in Entebbe, the memorandum of understanding relating to the strengthening of trade between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, and that relating to the partnership between the National Agency for the Promotion of Exports-ANAPEX and Uganda Free Zones and Export Promotions Authority, emphasize the facilitation of trade, the reduction of costs and delays, but also, on the promotion of trade, investments and the role of the private sector, to thus consolidate economic and commercial cooperation between these two neighboring countries.
These two memoranda of understanding aim at the elimination of non-tariff barriers, the construction and modernization of infrastructure to facilitate trade including one-stop border crossings and cross-border markets, the transparency of procedures, the reduction of customs costs and delays,
the removal of illegal taxes and levies, the fight against fraud and smuggling, the acceleration of the launch of the Simplified Commercial Regime-RECOS which grants several facilities to small cross-border traders and populations living along the borders, the installation of commercial information offices, and the strengthening of the capacities of Small and Medium Enterprises-PEM with the exchange of experiences, the organization of fairs and exhibitions as well as the development of innovative mechanisms financing,
but also, cooperation on standards through the mutual recognition of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, cooperation on immigration through the standardization and legislation of travel documents for small cross-border traders and the exchange of migration information and the promotion of collaboration frameworks between the private sectors of two countries to streamline commercial exchanges and increase investments.
The Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya, who signed the memorandum of understanding relating to the strengthening of Trade, welcomed this strategic partnership sealed by the DRC and Uganda, which constitutes the dawn of a new era in the Great Lakes region, he added.
The Director General of the National Agency for the Promotion of Exports-ANAPEX, Mike Tambwe who signed the memorandum of understanding with Uganda Free Zone and Export Promotions Authority, indicated that this partnership will contribute enormously to increasing the volume of exports from the DRC to Uganda, with the contribution of the traceability of different products including cocoa, coffee and bananas.
Note that the Congolese Government, with the support of its partners including Britsh Standards Institute and TradeMark Africa, is strengthening the training of local producers and exporters on sanitary and phytosanitary standards in North Kivu and Ituri.
