Uganda becomes the first country in the Eastern and Southern African (EA-SA) region to convert its driver’s licensing categories to conform to the Tripartite Transit and Transport Facilitation Programme (TTTFP) standards. Funded by the European Union under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF 11), the TTTFP is a programme launched by three Regional Economic Communities, namely: COMESA, East Africa Community (EAC) and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to address cross border transport and trade challenges such as high transport costs and delays,through the implementation of harmonised road transport policies, laws, regulations, systems and standards that affect drivers, loads, vehicles and road infrastructure in the countries of the EA-SA region.
From 1st March 2021, Uganda will commence issuance of drivers’ licenses in accordance with the TTTFP standard specification, based on International Standards Organization (ISO) and the United Nations road traffic regulations.Uganda is also pursuing other measures, including the implementation of two multilateral agreements: 1) the TTTFP Vehicle Load Management Agreement (VLMA), that aims at harmonising the axle load and vehicle dimensions limits in the region, including the financial sanctions, mobility restrictions, administrative sanctions, violations and points demerit systems related to their non-compliance and 2) the Multilateral Cross-Border Road Transport Agreement (MCBRTA), a convention that aims to liberalise road transport and to facilitate the development of a more competitive and integrated road transport market in the Tripartite region by replacing the bilateral cross-border road transport agreements that are currently in force between couples of States in the Region with a single tool applicable to all countries.
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