What would it take for a ‘no-stop’ border in Africa?

Summary

While Africa has made notable progress in bringing down trade times and costs through trade facilitation measures, challenges persist, such as non-tariff barriers and rising congestion. These raise interest in the possibility of moving beyond one-stop to ‘no-stop’ borders, thus taking the use of trade technology and institutions beyond their current states.

This study explores the feasibility and implications of establishing ‘no-stop’ borders in Africa as a means to deepen regional market integration and reduce the costs and delays associated with cross-border trade. The paper approaches the ‘no-stop’ border concept from three critical perspectives: technological feasibility, institutional requirements, and administrative and political realities. 

Technologically, a ‘no-stop’ border is feasible, but the paper also seeks to look at ‘who really wants a no-stop border’ given the implications for current administrative mandates and reduced control of cross-border flows. At an institutional level, one-stop border posts illustrate the range of agencies and processes that must be brought together, and thus how political and administrative interests and incentives can align. However, digitalising borders and related processes also pose risks. Experiences include unintended consequences such as corruption, exclusion of small businesses due to new fees, and challenges around data security and individual rights. The discussion underscores the need to pilot a ‘no-stop’ border where there is already a clear administrative benefit from reducing congestion, demand from the private sector and willingness to invest in ‘no-stop’ technology for at least part of the traded goods or crossing vehicles.