Non-Tariff Barriers

Complaint

Complaint number

NTB-001-348  

NTB Type

1.5. Requirement for counter trade  

Complaint

The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, through the Office de Gestion du Fret Multimodal (OGEFREM), introduced an additional requirement mandating the acquisition of the OGEFREM Certificate. OGEFREM (Office de Gestion du Fret Multimodal) is a real DRC agency involved in port/freight management and levies.This measure constitutes a Non-Tariff Barrier (NTB), particularly given that it’s paid for both in Uganda and DRC for the same product; apart from livestock, the fees aren’t standardised, and it’s not clear what value It adds. It constrains cross-border trade and undermines the principles and objectives of the East African Community (EAC) agreement, which promotes free movement of goods and regional integration.
Furthermore, this whole process creates delays and extra costs for cross‑border trade.

Traders have therefore proposed that the requirement to have an OGEFREM certificate be removed, and to the least have the cost of the OGEFREM Certificate be standardized and reduced. They note that small-scale traders are disproportionately affected, as they are often subjected to varying and elevated fees for the certificate, in addition to paying further OGEFREM-related charges that aren’t documented upon entry into the DRC.  

Progress update note

 

Policy or regulatory NTB

No 

Location

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Office de Gestion du Fret Multimodal (OGEFREM) (Government institution)  

Reporting Country or Region

Uganda  

Country specific trade issue

No  

Date of incident

2025-11-23  

Status

New  

Product Description

OGEFREM Certificate fees

Computer-assisted translation

• English
• Arabic
• French
• Portuguese

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Total value

0  

Date reported

2026-04-22 22:01  

Modified

2026-04-22 22:01