As long as not enough momentum is built up over the East African economic integration ideal, the issue of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) is likely to stay with us for sometime to come.
It is easy for politicians to pay lip service to these great ideals. Technically that is their job. For people on the ground it can be a totally different story. Here we are talking about protection of jobs and livelihood. Paradoxically, it is also frequently the same politicians who shout for the elimination of NTBs who then turn around and tell their people to ignore what they are saying in public.
Most trade barriers are put up in response to competition or specifically fear of competition. NTBs are a  favourite tool, because the government can think of plenty of other reasons to impose them other than competition. They can also cite unfair competition when one government subsidies the production of an enterprise.
It is well and good that there is a mobile phone system that allows one to report NTBs in real time. But dismantling NTBs will only quicken when all EAC governments are singing the same song of ‘free trade across  borders’.
This is not to say that there are no genuine reasons why one product or commodity should not be restricted. But let us not use these same genuine reasons to impose NTBs out of fear of competition. On paper, the East African Community Treaty is a momentous collection of what can define a great undertaking. You just wonder if we are brave enough to fulfill it.
Source: East African Business Week

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