IRU and South Africa’s Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (C-BRTA) explore cooperation to boost passenger and goods transport across Southern Africa.
A delegation from C-BRTA, a driving force behind Southern Africa’s international road transport services for over 20 years, have shared the agency’s latest programmes and projects with IRU to explore further collaboration.
C-BRTA strives to reduce mobility constraints for road transport operators by regulating market access and issuing cross-border permits, while facilitating sustainable social and economic development in the Southern African Development Community region.
IRU highlighted how TIR, the formalisation of the road transport sector, certification programmes that optimise commercial driver competencies, and digitalisation efforts could amplify C-BRTA and South Africa’s critical role in the region.
Both sides discussed the challenges of transport and transit in Southern Africa and identified areas for cooperation at the national and regional level.
IRU and C-BRTA signed an MoU in 2018, establishing a framework for cooperation between the two organisations.
South Africa is a transit gateway to landlocked countries in Southern Africa. Accession to TIR, the only global transit system, could significantly facilitate the flow of goods across borders, boosting trade and regional integration.