Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) has announced that it will within one month launch a new $5m (approx. Rwf4 billion) project that will see goods tracked from the port till they are in Rwanda.

Other goods to be monitored are those that transit through Rwanda from the moment they enter through the country’s borders till they exit.

The project, which is funded by TradeMark East Africa, will roll out three components which include the electronic cargo tracking system, installation of CCTV cameras at all border posts and a number plate recognisation system.

Explaining the first component, which is the electronic cargo tracking system, the head of the project; Robert Mugabe, said that though the tracking will mostly be monitored from Kigali, there were already trained staff within the northern and southern corridor who will work help in making the work even more efficient.

"We will be putting an electronic magnetic seal on a container or truck and automatically, it will link the taxation system to the tracking one. Anyone who tries to break the seal prompts an automatic message and our cargo monitors will get an alert. If it happens our staff will immediately intervene,” he said.

To make this possible, Mugabe says that all routes have been geo-fenced using Global Positioning Systems (GPS).

"If the truck tries to violate the route, an alert is also sent out. The same also happens when you pack somewhere for so long because each stop point has a designated time it’s estimated to take. Whatever the issue is, we talk to the Rapid Response Unit so that they can intervene and can see all that from here,” he said.

Mugabe says that the tracking devices come in as a solution to the continuous tax evasion by some and also a result of requests made by several businessmen.

"This will solve two key issues; there were people who were transporting goods and claiming that they are only transiting through Rwanda yet they are here to actually sell the goods. That is tax evasion.”

The other issue is that some business operators have been complaining about losing their cargo and under the new system they will be able to have records of how their goods move from the beginning to the end.