EU funding accelerates Nimule One-Stop Border Post
This week TradeMark Africa and UNOPS confirmed a fresh €10 million injection from the European Union for the long-planned Nimule One-Stop Border Post at the Uganda–South Sudan frontier.
The grant, part of the South Sudan Trade and Transport Facilitation Programme, seeks to modernise customs processes, shorten clearance times and lower logistical costs for the 200 trucks that traverse Nimule daily.
Projected trade gains for East Africa
Officials forecast that the new facilities could lift bilateral trade volumes with Uganda by double-digits once construction ends in 2028, reinforcing South Sudan’s integration into the East African market.
Currently more than 150,000 Ugandan traders cross the Nimule–Elegu corridor every year, yet many lose precious hours to paperwork, flooding and ad-hoc checkpoints that inflate prices for consumers on both sides.
Infrastructure and training updates revealed
The OSBP complex will house administrative blocks, laboratories, parking yards and a dedicated public health corner, according to project blueprints shared at a stakeholders’ workshop in Nimule.
TradeMark Africa’s Country Director Anna Nambozoze said a prefabricated hub will open by March 2026 to accommodate customs and immigration staff, ensuring uninterrupted border flow while heavy civil works proceed.
Security and anti-smuggling measures
Deputy Commissioner General John Mading Bol of the South Sudan Revenue Authority pledged additional patrols along the Juba-Nimule highway, arguing that predictable security is essential for investor confidence.
His colleague Zizi Maksudi added that faster clearance will remove incentives for smugglers who exploit delays, complementing digital reforms already piloted at the port of Juba.
Looking ahead to 2028 completion
Engineers expect ground breaking later this year, with a 30-month timetable that regional observers say is ambitious yet achievable given the EU’s track record on African trade corridors.
Upon completion, the Nimule One-Stop Border Post may well mirror successes seen in Kenya and Rwanda, where similar facilities reportedly cut transit time by up to 70 percent.