TradeMark East Africa

Overview of their Electronic Cargo Tracking System.

This is an initiative run by the Uganda Revenue Authority and funded in part by Trade Mark East Africa – which DFID partially funds. It is designed to ensure transit goods (which do not pay duty) are not sold, un-authorised in Uganda, a common problem accounting for millions of dollars of lost tax revenue. Its secondary benefits include prevention (or solving) of theft, quicker transit times through the country and reduced corruption.

It works by fitting GPS tracking devices to transit goods, so that any shipment can be monitored in real-time as it transits across the country. A shipping container will have a magnetic long-life GPS unit, secured to the door via a special USB cable that detects theft if removed or tampered with.

A team of staff at HQ in Kampala monitor 7% of all trucks with high value cargo (they are limited to 7% currently due to the cost of the GPS units which are $300-$400, so have targeted high-value goods), with the movement of each shipment superimposed on a large Google Earth display. This display shows the approved transit routes through the country, location of customs points and incident hotspots. If the shipment stops for too long by the roadside, goes off route, an alarm sounds and the HQ operator may contact the driver to find out what has happened.

If the tracking device is tampered with (the USB connection going over the container door is broken), the driver is immediately called by HQ to check what is going on. This has stopped a lot of robberies, as previously the driver may not have known their shipment was being tampered with. If the suspect makes off with the tracker and/or goods, a rapid reaction force is despatched by the URA to find the tracker and apprehend the suspect.