A. General Information
Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking system
B. Lessons Learned
Regional Electronic Cargo System (RECTS) is an information technology system developed to assist in the electronic tracking of transit goods for revenue authorities of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda,Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2019 the electronic monitoring of transits on a single platform which started in Uganda in 2014, followed by its extension to Kenya and Rwanda (2014), was successfully extended to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today the four customs authorities are in a position of electronically monitor the movement of sensitive transits among the Northern member states on a single platform across Northern Corridor.Customs are in a position to monitor their cargo prior to its arrival and plan their Customs
interventions better.
Upon release of transit goods from the port and other release stations, the goods are required by law to move along gazetted corridor routes. The trucks are armed by RECTS electronic seals that make them visible on real time basis at the Centralised Monitoring Centre where any security alerts by electronic seal would be handled and dealt with. Through collaboration with other partner states, the goods get monitored till the destination. This has proved successful in the management of transit goods and has greatly improved accountability of goods and reduced cargo transit time.
To establish efficient customs management system.
The administrations use this single platform, which enables them to have a single watch and view of cargo in the course of its movement along the Northern Corridor. Only one type of seal is used, which removes the need for arming and disarming the electronic seals at partner States’ territorial borders. The devices have been jointly procured by the three Revenue Authorities.
The system uses GPS/GPRS technology, an effective tracking technology
Targeted units, box body trucks, tankers and containers ferrying transit goods under URA’s control are fitted with a tracking device which sends the seal status, truck location and any violation information to URA on real time basis
Once the seal is activated, cargo is monitored from start to destination
Everything that happens to the cargo is recorded and reported simultaneously with every incident being time stamped together with the location of occurrence
Any violation including movement outside the geofenced route or tampering with the seal is detected and reported immediately to the Central Monitoring Centre (CMC)
Alerts are sent both via e-mail and SMS to pre-defined persons
The Rapid Response Unit (RRU) deployed at strategic points reacts to alerts as directed by the CMC
The systems is mainly aimed at management of transit goods and reduction of transit time.
Reduced time
Real time monitoring of transit cargo
Safe and secure arrival of the goods to their destination
Better coordination, cooperation
Information sharing
Resource optimization and capacity building.
Additionaltechnologies are expected to be deployed to support the system, including:
“smart gates” to allow truck drivers to scan a barcode to a barcode reader machine, which then identifies the truck and cargo to be collected, and advises the latter on where to pick up the cargo;
CCTV camera systems at Customs stations to improve transparency and the fight against corruption;
sensors for trucks transporting petroleum products, which can provide information on the product volume and the integrity of the cargo.
https://singlewindow.go.ug/uesw/AboutRECTS