Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) has announced that its Masaka customs office at the Dubai Ports World Rwanda will extend its operational hours to 24 throughout the week.
DP World is a dry port which was launched in 2019 as the country's biggest inland cargo handling facility.
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The dryport connects Rwanda to neighboring countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. The facility also accesses the port of Mombasa in Kenya and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, securing two trade gateways to the sea.
"The management of customs service informs all importers, exporters, customs agents, transporters, and other stakeholders that from April 15, Masaka customs office (DP World) will be operating 24h/7,” reads the announcement.
Dubai Ports "Kigali Logistics Platform” located in Masaka sector in Kicukiro district, on December 6, inaugurated two new warehouses - one occupying 2,500 and 3,000 square meters.
Philbert Inkindi, Chief Commercial Officer at Dubai Ports World Rwanda, on April 9 told The New Times that 24-hour operation for the customs office will bring about big impact.
"This is because importers now will be able to get goods on time and RRA will collect taxes (duties) on time. Cargo movements will increase as well. If our capacity of discharge daily was 40 containers it can go higher because working hours will double as well,” he said.
He said logistics will change a lot.
"We were operating for eight hours. Working 24 hours, capacity of discharge daily will increase not less than 25% but mostly this will have an impact on loading, releasing cargo. Importers will enjoy it most,” he said.
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The expansion of the two facilities, is the addition to the 10 existing, bringing to twelve warehouses established within the past four years.
New customs building was handed over to RRA with the aim to further streamlining operations and extending support to stakeholders and esteemed clients.
Félicien Mwumvaneza, the RRA Commissioner for Customs Services said: "the offices mean a lot for cargo handling, trade is going to be better facilitated which will ultimately reduce cost in the long run.”
DP World Kigali was inaugurated in 2019 by President Paul Kagame.
The concession agreement granted for 25-years allowed the smart trade enabler DP World to develop and operate the "Kigali Logistics Platform” in Masaka.
Phase one of the project is now operational covering a surface area of 13.3 hectares, and the facility offers:
The port has dedicated spaces for 198 large trucks, and 12,000 m2 of container yard to handle an estimated 50,000 TEU annually.
TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) is a general unit of cargo capacity, often used for container ships and container ports.
Logistics and shipping companies normally load up to 24 metric tonnes of cargo in a TEU.
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