Limiting corruption is a vital part of lowering costs of doing business in the East African Community.

The issue came up during a meeting of the EAC Regional Programme for Sensitization of Border Communities at Rusumo, a border town between Tanzania and Rwanda.

‘Corruption within the Immigration and Customs departments is one of the major hurdles to cross-border trade in East Africa, and non-adherence to the rules and regulations stipulated in the EAC Treaty,’ participants agreed in a statement.

Speaking during the official opening, the EAC/GIZ Media expert, Sukdev Chatbar, emphasized the importance of empowering ordinary citizens at the grass-roots level. He said: “There is a need to ensure that the citizens of the EAC Partner States are well equipped with the necessary tools and skills to actively participate in the regional integration process and, therefore, contribute to the overall development of the region.”

Participants raised concerns on various issues assumed to affect the smooth undertaking of business across border points, including non-adherence to the rules and regulations stipulated in the EAC Treaty as well as corruption within the customs and immigration departments.

The EAC Partner States are currently hard pressed for eliminating Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) to support trade development across the region.

Particular focus was on small scale traders to enhance their understanding of the EAC integration agenda.

Source: East African Business Week

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