Dr Kevit Desai, Principal Secretary in Kenya’s East African Community and Regional Development ministry, said this at an EABC Trade Facilitation Forum held at the Taveta/Holili One-Stop Border Post on Kenya’s border with Tanzania.

He lauded Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, current Chairman of the EAC Heads of State Summit, for bolstering the economic bloc’s regional integration agenda for businesses and East Africans to actualise prosperity.

Dr Desai called for the enhancement of collective efforts towards trade facilitation and value addition to bolster manufacturing, appealing to East African businesspeople to “boldly tap into the markets of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)”.

Sarah Keiya, Chairperson of Women Cross-Border Traders, meanwhile said that unharmonised measures on Covid-19 raise the cost of business operations.

She cited the US$10 antigen test on the Tanzania side while on the Kenya side this is made free of charge.

She also suggested that the EAC’s Simplified Trade Regime is yet to be implemented as fully as envisioned.

EABC Executive Officer John Bosco Kalisa reported that the Taveta/Holili One-Stop Border Post cleared 33,000 cargo trucks last year, a 73 per cent increase from 19,000 the previous year.

He said the increase in the volume of trade underscored the importance of eliminating non-tariff barriers for the quick recovery and resilience of the EAC economies amid Covid-19.

Kalisa also called for a “green channel” for East African products at the border to boost trade and competitiveness of the region.

He said that Holili/Taveta post, which links the EAC’s northern and central corridors, has high potential for graduating into a leading trade hub on the continent.

Levies on transit and EAC originating goods (East African products) by Kenyan counties and the re-testing of products by bureaus of standards are among other hurdles raised by the business leaders at the forum.

The Eastern Africa Grain Council and TAHA Fresh called upon the customs agencies to offer priority clearance to perishable and all agricultural goods, especially during information technology system breakdowns, to avoid delays.

Dr Desai further appealed for the regular holding of meetings of joint border management committees, the strengthening of partnerships to set up the Jumuiya Market at Taita/Taveta.

He also explained that the Kenyan ministry’s Business Reforms Unit would work closely with the EABC and Chambers of Commerce to analyse counties’ regulatory compliance.

The forum also recommended that cross-border traders be permitted to cross over and do business up to 10 kilometres on both sides of the border, a quick rollout of the EAC Covid-19 pass, and improved infrastructure such as cargo scanners.

The forum was attended by over 60 delegates including officials from the EAC ministry, trade facilitation agencies, importers, exporters, transporters & freight forwarders, the Eastern African Sub-Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women, and women cross-border traders.

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