EAC sets up ‘hotline’ in cross-border trade

This measure comes in to resolve persistent non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and reduce the time spent in moving goods and persons, hence increasing intra EAC trade, which currently stands at 15 per cent of the partner states’ total trade volumes.

EAC Secretary General Dr Peter Mathuki made his first visit to the Namanga One Stop Border Post (OSBP) yesterday, meeting officials of trade facilitation agencies and cross border traders to exchange views on how to ease cross border trade.

“The hotline will enable the secretariat to register persistent trade barriers, provide feedback and make follow ups,” he said.

The East African Business Council (EABC), facilitating dialogue of government authorities and the private sector, affirmed that the movement of goods and persons at the Namanga OSBP and truck traffic impasse has been eased following the directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta during the two day state visit by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

The meeting provided a platform for cross border traders, trade facilitation agencies, EABC and the EAC Secretariat to explore solutions to handicaps in bilateral and regional cross-border trade. Traders urged harmonization of standards for the most traded goods in the region.

EABC also urged harmonization of taxes and charges, reducing weigh bridge costs and reviewing punitive fines for infractions by cross border traders.

Speaking at the forum, the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Namanga OSBP manager Paul Kamkulu said that in fiscal 2019/2020, good from Kenya passing at the border post stood at$138.79m while exports to Kenya stood at $124.33m. In fiscal 2020/2021, Tanzania imports from Kenya stood at around $131.44m while exports were billed at $170.4m

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Namanga station manager, Joseph Moywaywa, said that amid the pandemic, Kenya’s top exports to Tanzania were detergents, tiles, automotives and solar panels, whilst Tanzania in turn sold fresh vegetables, alcoholic drinks and fertilizer.

Tanzania’s Ambassador to Kenya Dr John Simbachawene joined the Secretariat delegation, reiterating the commitment of the government in deepening relations to resolve barriers disrupting trade flows.

Dr Mathuki, who has been in office for close to a fortnight, was lauded for being the first holder of the post to make a point of holding such a dialogue with traders and facilitation agencies at the Namanga OSBP, enhancing optimism on fast-tracking of pending trade and policy issues.

Source:IPPMedia