The East African Community (EAC) will launch a regional electronic cargo and driver tracking system (RECDTS).

The system will be flagged off at five key border points in the region, including Rusumo between Tanzania and Rwanda and Mutukula between Uganda and Tanzania.

At Rusumo, the event will take place on August 12 and August 14th at the Mutukula border post, the secretariat said at the weekend.

The system is an initiative of the partner states national focal points on Covid-19 and TradeMark East Africa (TMEA).

Similar events are planned for the Namanga border post between Tanzania and Kenya on August 28th and Kabanga/Kobero (Tanzania and Burundi borderline) on August 31st.

The system will also be inaugurated at Malaba border post between Kenya and Uganda) on August 21st, an EAC statement said.

EAC deputy secretary general (Productive and Social Sectors) Christophe Bazivamo said once launched the system would be operationalized.

"All selected borders will be equipped with the necessary terminals to allow easy movement of the truck drivers", he said.

The deputy SG revealed this early this week when he addressed the weekly online EAC Ad hoc Regional Coordination Committee (EARCC) on Covid-19.

He added that in preparation for the launching of the application, the EAC secretariat has distributed special terminals (tablets) procured with the support of TMEA.

According to him, the tracking system is expected to be the key to the region's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After installation, users are to share their Covid-19 test results on the platform for easy information exchange along the Central and Northern corridors.

The system will subsequently pass on the results using already existing systems used by the national revenue and health authorities in the region.

Mr. Bazivamo assured stakeholders that they will get optimal use of the tracking system.

"It is one thing to have the system but it is another to make good use of it. And, on behalf of the EAC Secretariat, I want to commit to ensure that we get optimal use of the system," he said.

The RECDTS will help in sharing of EAC Covid-19 Test certificate for cross border truck drivers/crews electronically, and facilitate easy information exchange along transport corridors within the EAC and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"The RECDTS is directly linked to the national Laboratory repository for all COVID-19 results for each Partner State.

"Only the negative results are automatically linked to the application and information is shared across all transport corridors through a secure mechanism," he pointed out.