South Sudan, Uganda to set up one-stop border post

South Sudan and Uganda have agreed to set up a one-stop border post at their common border in a bid to reduce travel time and cost of cross-border business, an official said Monday.

Joseph Ayok Anei, Undersecretary in South Sudan's Foreign Ministry, said Monday a deal was signed in the Ugandan capital Kampala last week aimed at boosting trade through efficient movement of goods, people and services between the two countries.

He said once constructed, the border post will reduce the number of stops in cross-border trade and other transactions by combining border control activities at a single location in each direction.

"The joint border post will ease the movement of people and goods by reducing the time spent at entry points ... Once industries begin to take off in South Sudan, it will be a give and take," Anei told reporters in South Sudanese capital Juba.

The agreement requires both countries to establish "common control zones" to facilitate movement of goods and people at entry points.

It further allows hosting of border control officers in each other's territory with authority to jointly inspect cargo, share information and carry out border controls using their own national laws.

Uganda is South Sudan's major trade partner in the East African region. Uganda's exports to this northern neighbor have reached an estimated 1.18 billion U.S. dollars since 2008, according to data from the Ugandan Ministry of Trade. Endit