Non Tarriff Barriers
Mr. Faustin Mbundu, Chairman of the East African Business Council was quoted thus: “Non-tariff barriers remain the biggest obstacle to free movement of goods. We want the East African Community governments to show more commitment towards the reduction of trade barriers”. – Daily Nation 9th June, 2010. For his part EAC Secretary General Ambassador Juma Mwapacu is reported to have raised similar concerns over NTBs (Daily Monitor, 6th July 2010.
But what are the most common and constraining NTBs that Ugandan traders are facing when operating within the region? What is the cost in terms of time and increased costs. What are the governments of East Africa not doing that could ease the burden on traders, manufacturers and other business people? What are your experiences trading in other regions that could help reduce the NTB burden in the EAC?
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The East African Common Market
On 1st July the territory of Uganda along with Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania became a common market. One of the consequences was the easing of restrictions on the cross border movement of the citizens of the five countries and the abolition of work permits before lawful employment in any of the five countries. Rwanda pioneered this even before the advent of the common market and has had some experience letting foreigners into its territory. Uganda is one country where entry and lawful employment for non-citizens has been controlled - at least in theory. When the borders opened Burundians, Kenyans, Rwandans and Tanzanians got licence to enter freely and Ugandans became free to the other four countries equally with minimum fuss.
The Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry (MTTI) has been closely involved in the negotiations that have brought about this latest development in the economic integration of the East African Countries. It has when practicable consulted as widely as possible in order to ensure a balanced approach to the EAC integration process. As this latest stage in that process is now upon us, MTTI wishes to invite stakeholders to debate the possible practical effects of the common market to businesses, to individuals, to agriculture, manufacturing, to small scale enterprises, etc. MTTI also wishes to share your views on how best businesses and individuals can adjust. What advantages do you see for your and other businesses or your members? What are the disadvantages? What opportunities are there for Ugandans in the other EAC countries? Will the common market contribute to solving the youth unemployment problem? Is the common market of benefit to East African consumers? Are there other angles to the whole thing that you would like to share with others?
Please register and then add your comments. Please remember to be civil to your fellow contributors. Any contribution that is adjudged to be abusive or in any other way offensive will not be published and its author will be black listed.
