EAC: Trade barriers still persist in these nations’ boirder points slowing tade volume in the bloc

Reports Leo Odera Omolo

The East African Business Council is reportedly worried over an increasing bureaucracy at most of the border points, which it believes is slowing down the intra-EAC trade volumes.

In the Council’s blacklist are arbitrarily suspension of commodity exports, continuous application of illegal fees and lack of coordination among order clearing authorities despite of the East African Common Market having come into force last July.

According to an article in the latest edition of the influential weekly, the EASTAFRICAN, export bans instituted by Tanzania and Kenyan ministries of agriculture have for instance, denied producers access to the markets that would otherwise guarantee them higher returns.

In Tanzania, the report says, foreign registered vehicles transporting cargo pay USD 500 to Tanzania Revenue Authority on each entry on top of annual fees of USD 600,while in Burundi goods often undergo tedious clearance procedures with traders having to go through numerous agencies which include immigration, security, anti- corruption, customs department, among others.

On its part, Rwanda Revenue Authority does not recognize the East African certificate of origin particularly on goods originating from Uganda for electronic welded black tubes, while Uganda on its part, the Uganda Revenue Authority and Uganda Bureau of Standards continue to issue different requirements regarding standards on pre-exports verifications of conformity.

The EABC executive director Agatha Ndritu was last week quoted by the report as sating that her regional business body has written to all government institutions and agencies concerned requesting the to abolish or suspend the reported barriers.

Uncoordinated activities among borer agencies involved in quality assurance and certification such as bureau of the standards, food and drug inspection agencies have resulted in duplications of efforts causing further delays in clearing of goods.

Offloading and reloading containers for verifications at all border posts also lead to unnecessary delays and material loss due to breakages.

There I a need to continue on the path of harmonizing and ensure single data capture that would reflect at all other border points. Weighbridges which, in most cases, act as conduits for corruption, add to the overall cost of doing business for traders.

In efforts to raise revenue, local Councils have turned to levies on goods transiting through their territory. Most notorious are local council in Kajiado a southern Kenya district bordering Tanzania, Longido in Tanzania and others in Uganda, says the report.

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