Sleepy border town struggles to find footing

Cyanika town reminds one of other small towns in the periphery of the countryside. It’s quiet and not very vibrant as expected of a town located at a fully functional border post between two developing countries.It stands at the border between Rwanda and Uganda but business there is only slightly better than most of the remote towns in the country.In the vicinity of the border post, ordinary shops that mainly comprise the business community in the area are evenly distributed on either sides of the town’s main road.However, at first sight, one realises that Cyanika is expanding beyond the old town. There are many rows of new shop lots and sprawling designed compounds lining buildings on both sides of the road leading to the town. There is a weekly market with many stalls selling various items originating from both countries, depicting the good relationship between residents of either country.A vibrant mood is slowly and progressively growing with many promising occurrences even though the border area is generally calm.This little town is full of stories. The locals on both sides of the border seem more than happy to identify themselves as nationals of either country.Theophile Nzaramba is a 74 - year old area resident. He disclosed to The Sunday Times that previously, there was no border point at Cyanika, which is why up to now it is difficult to differentiate who is Rwandan or Ugandan.“Before the demarcation of the boundaries between countries was introduced, this area belonged to Rwanda and people here had no differences because they even spoke the same language,” Nzaramba explains.He adds that after setting the demarcations, as the population on either side grew, the people pooled together their resources to develop the area.Even though more vibrant entertainment places and hangouts are yet to be established, holiday makers have options of travelling to Kisoro town in Uganda or Musanze town in Rwanda. From the border post, it is less than 30 minutes drive to either town.In an interview, Alex Nuwagaba, an official from the Ugandan Immigration Department, says that in the recent past, there was an increase of travellers crossing the border, especially those doing business.“There is an increase in trade in the area because crossing borders is relatively easier and products are significantly cheaper in one place than another,” Nuwagaba explains.He explains that cross border trade has improved with the promotion of SMEs and Cooperatives development to further strengthen the economic relationship between the two countries.It is important to note that the developments at this border follow up on the recommendations made by the Ministers responsible for trade at a meeting held in Kigali towards the end of last year.An official at Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) who declined to be mentioned because he is not authorised to speak to the press, said that the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between his institution and the Ugandan government has greatly helped to reduce smuggling of goods between the two countries.“There is increased information sharing which has proved to be one of the best ways to tackle smuggling” he said.Even though he could not specify how much is actually lost to smugglers, the official confirmed that the practice indeed exists and efforts are underway to minimise it through joint operations.He revealed that some of the most smuggled goods include alcohol packed in plastic sachets and cigarettes from the Ugandan side.And while most of the on-line clearance methods are still new, one clear requirement is the development of infrastructure for a one-stop border post at Cyanika to ease trade because it is one of the eight stop points traders currently have to contend with.