Kenya: EAC unveils app to address trade barriers

The East African Community, in collaboration with TradeMark Africa, has introduced an innovative app designed to eliminate non-tariff barriers within its member states.

Endorsed to transform the region’s trade dynamics, the app is set to streamline reporting, monitoring, and resolution of obstacles faced by traders in cross-border business transactions.

Efficiently combining SMS, email, and phone reporting, the app provides economic operators with a comprehensive solution to report non-tariff barriers to trade seamlessly.

The EAC emphasizes that by simplifying the reporting of non-tariff barriers (NTB), the app will assist traders and producers in addressing challenges that hinder their trade efficiency and competitiveness.

“Additionally, it will ensure transparency and quick resolution of issues by engaging technical and policy-level mechanisms, such as National Focal Points, National Monitoring Committees (NMCs) and the Regional Monitoring Committee (RMC).”

However, a notable portion of complaints, specifically (43.75%) were still in progress.

The report on the impact of NTBs is concurred by the recent report on regional commerce by the East African Business Council (EABC), which shows the economies are losing millions on the back of stiff trading policies, including the slow implementation of agreed taxation rules.

It criticizes policymakers for failing to translate their words into action, noting a tendency to agree on important policies but postpone their implementation.

“This has seen East African Community member states frequently flout the Common Market Protocol and undermine the regional integration agenda through the imposition of non-tariff barriers to trade and repeated requests for preferential tax treatment and exemptions,” the report reads.

Speaking during the app launch, EAC deputy secretary general in charge of customs, trade and monetary affairs Annette Ssemuwemba, said the app marks a pivotal moment in creating a smooth trading environment across the region.

“We are dedicated to eradicating the barriers that impede economic growth and integration. This innovative solution serves as a powerful tool to empower traders, producers and economic operators offering them a unified platform to promptly address and resolve NTBs,” Ssemuwemba said.

She added that the removal of NTBs holds paramount significance in fostering a more efficient and equitable trade environment, saying they are often in the form of procedural complexities, or administrative hurdles, hindering the smooth flow of goods and services.

“Empowering the private sector to report NTBs encountered and enabling them to track the progress of the NTB through the app is key to enhancing the business environment in the region, we hope that this will be the turning point in effectively identifying and swiftly resolving NTBs in the region.”