Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) has said, from next week, special help desks will be operational at Dubai Port World (DP World) and Kigali International Airport to expedite clearance for goods that will be used in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2022 (CHOGM2022).
CHOGM2022 will take place during the week of June 20 to 25 in Kigali, Rwanda.
DP World Kigali is an inland dry-port and logistics hub located in Masaka, a Kigali suburb.
In June, Commonwealth leaders will travel to Rwanda to reaffirm their common values and agree actions and policies to improve the lives of all their citizens.
As this is a major event that will convene many delegates from the Commonwealth’s 54 member countries, clearing their goods could take long if no swift clearance mechanism is put in place.
"Customs Services wishes to inform importers, customs agents and other customs stakeholders that in order to speed up the clearance process of goods that will be used in CHOGM2022; special help desks working 24/7 will be opened at Dubai Port World (Masaka) and Kigali International Airport offices effective 2nd May, 2022,” reads RRA’s public announcement issued on April 29.
CHOGM is a pivotal agenda-setting and decision-making space for the diverse community of 54 Commonwealth countries.
On April 27, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) hosted a CHOGM22 engagement session with various public and private institutions as well as the civil society.
Speaking during the session, Zephanie Niyonkuru, Deputy CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), said that hosting CHOGM2022 and chairing the Commonwealth is an opportunity for Rwanda to be at the heart of international events for the next two years.
He indicated that hosting 5,000 people from around the world [expected to attend the meeting], presents economic benefits not only for hotels and convention centres, but also for all Rwandans.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal sovereign states. It is home to 2.5 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.
Connected by similar traditions, language, governance and legal structures, monarchs, presidents and prime ministers from Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific, meet every two years at CHOGM, to explore how they can pool their resources and innovations to transform joint challenges into exciting opportunities.