NEWS– The East African Community Secretariat and Partner States have been directed to operationalise the EAC Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) Mobile Application including sensitisation by 30th April, 2024.
According to a Press Statement released today February 12th 2024, the directive was made by the Ministerial Session of the 43rd EAC Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) that was held today at the East African Community Headquarters in Arusha in Tanzania.
The Council of the Ministers further commended Trademark Africa for supporting the development of the EAC Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) Mobile Application that was developed to ease the reporting, monitoring and elimination of NTBs in the Community.
The EAC Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) Mobile Application was finalised and piloted during the National Monitoring Committee meetings in March 2023.
The East African Community NTBs App allows the users to report the complaints in one of the three (3) EAC official languages which include English, Swahili and French and can be downloaded from the Apple Store, Google’s Play Store, and other Android devices, and can be accessed through www.eacmobile.portal.africa.
The Secretariat in collaboration with Trademark Africa officially launched the EAC Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) Mobile Application at the official opening ceremony of the 23rd East African Community Trade Fair that was held on 8th December, 2023 in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Further, the Secretariat with support from Trademark Africa will undertake sensitisation and capacity building of relevant public and private stakeholders in Partner States on the EAC Elimination of NTBs Mobile Application to ensure timely reporting, monitoring and elimination of NTBs in the Community.
Non Tarrif Barriers have been a major hindrance to the free movement of goods as enshrined in the East African Community Customs and Common Market Protocols and ordinarily, Non Tarrif Barers refer to any obstacles to international trade that are not import or export duties and may take the form of import quotas, subsidies, customs delays, technical barriers, or other systems preventing or impeding trade.
Ministers directed the Secretariat to prioritize the harmonisation of calibration services for the road tankers in the Region in the financial year 2024/2025.
On the prioritisation of negotiations with the seven countries that have requested for Free Trade Area arrangements with the Community, the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment approved negotiations of Free Trade Area Agreements between the East African Community and the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Singapore and they directed the Secretariat to engage them by 30th July, 2024 on commencement of negotiations for Free Trade Area Agreements.
The Ministers resolved that negotiations with Turkey, China and Serbia will be undertaken after negotiations of Free Trade Areas have progressed with the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Singapore.
With regard to the simplification and reforms in avocado export procedures in the Community, the Ministers directed Partner States to undertake simplification of export procedures for avocado commodity and other exports of fruits and vegetables.
Partner States were further directed to rationalise the issuance of various permits and licensing requirements with a view to eliminating those that are not necessary to meet the objectives being sought by the private sector.
The Ministers resolved that Partner States should introduce risk management in ensuring regulatory compliance in addition to developing a common and standardised list of documentary and information requirements for avocado and other vegetables and fruits exports that adopts global best practices.
The Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment also directed Partner States and the Secretariat to mobilise resources for quality infrastructure for fruits and vegetables and also directed to convene a meeting of Trade and Customs experts to rationalise the permits and licensing requirements on agricultural exports and develop common and standardised export documents by 30th April, 2024.
While speaking during the opening session of the Ministerial Session, the Chairperson of the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment Hon William Anyuon Kuol Wol, observed that efforts to reduce NTBs within the EAC have been commendable.
“However, to sustain this progress, it was imperative for all stakeholders, including the private sector, to play a pivotal role in holding the EAC accountable and in devising effective mechanisms to address and monitor the reduction of NTBs,” Hon Wol said.
Hon Wol further highlighted the progress in implementing the Single Customs Territory and the impact of One Stop Border Posts on reducing transit costs, as notable achievements but pointed out that it was vital to engage in outreach programmes that educate East Africans about the integration process and itss relevance in their lives.
In his remarks, East African Community Secretary General Dr Peter Mathuki, said that there has been a consistent upward trend in intra-trade values in recent years.
“In the financial year 2021 / 2022, intra-trade reached US$ 8.7 billion, followed by a further increase to US$ 9.4 billion in the financial year 2022/2023 and this demonstrated a robust trading environment among EAC Partner States, with a notable growth of approximately 7.98%,” Dr Mathuki explained.
Dr Mathuki urged the Ministers to address issues relating to denial of preferential market access for EAC Originating goods, non-ratification of key EAC instruments, finalisation of EAC Tariff Offers for Category B and C to give impetus to Intra-African trade, cross-border challenges affecting the free movement of goods and persons and resolution of existing NTBs.
Present at the meeting were Bruno Mbayi Bashadila from the Ministry of External Trade in Democratic Republic of Congo, Hon Minister of Trade, Transport, Industry and Tourism in Burundi, Hon Marie Chantal Nijimbere, the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry East African Community Hon Peninah Malonza the and Richard Niwenshuti from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Rwanda.
Others were Hon Exaud Kigahe, Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade in Tanzania, Hon Rebecca Kadaga Rebecca, the 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of EAC Affairs in Uganda and Ms Annette Ssemuwemba, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs.
