This research provides a detailed analysis of the evolution of East African Community (EAC) export competitiveness, and proposes priority policy interventions to foster trade competitiveness in the region.

Over the past 8 years the 5 members of the East African Community (EAC)— Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda—have continued to take steps to make it easier for local firms to start up and operate. Driving these efforts has been a recognition that regional integration alone is not enough to spur growth. The EAC needs an investment climate—including a business regulatory environment—that is well suited to scaling up trade and investment and can act as a catalyst to modernize the regional economy. Improving the investment climate in the EAC is therefore an essential ingredient for successful integration—the foundation for expanding business activity, boosting competitiveness, spurring growth and, ultimately, supporting human development.

[vc_row][vc_column][rev_slider slidertitle="Single Window Information for Trade (SWIFT) – Zanzibar Food and Drugs Board" alias="single-window-information-for-trade-swift-zanzibar-food-and-drugs-board" offset=""][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][custom_inner_menus select_menu="project"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][single_project_block_1 heading="Single Window Information for Trade (SWIFT)" implementor="A number of single window projects will be implemented. Implementing organisations include: Kenya Shippers Council, Federation of East Africa Freight Forwarders Association (FEAFFA), Kenyan Transport Association (KTA), Tea Board of Kenya. Tanzania Bureau of Standards, Tanzania Food and Drug Authority. Uganda National Bureau of Standards, Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries. Rwanda Bureau of Standards, Pharmacy and Poison Board, Ministry of Health Rwanda, Rwanda Development Board, Ministry of Agriculture Rwanda. " target_group="Importers and exporters in East Africa" project_value="US$ 4,614,777" implementation_period="2011 - 2014" download_btn_text="Download Project PDF" download_btn_link="#url"]Traders in the EAC can spend many days visiting multiple government agencies to obtain regulatory information permits, trade licenses and clearance certificates to enable them complete import and export processes. These delays increase the cost of doing business in East Africa. What: Public sector agencies in our target countries are developing an electronic single window which enables cross-border traders to access, apply for and submit regulatory documents at a single location. How: TradeMark Africa is providing financial and technical assistance to conduct the mapping exercise and build the IT infrastructure that will host the portals. Contact: Alban Odhiambo: alban.odhiambo@trademarkea.com Click here to learn more about One Stop Border Posts Program[/single_project_block_1][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][single_project_block_2 heading="Desired Results" image_1="42894" image_2="42892"]The single window will minimize time taken to complete standard import and export processes across the EAC, increase user- compliance with trade procedures, and decrease the time it...

This review focuses on studies that analyse the impact of the six main trade facilitation instruments on developing countries.

It is a well recognized fact that East Africa’s regional integration agenda is now entering a new phase of implementation fueled by new measures involving a number of stakeholders. Among them is a not-for-profit organization known as TradeMark Africa (TMA) whose vision is to create “a united East Africa with flourishing trade, strong investment and less poverty’’. It focuses on three main themes to support regional integration and trade competitiveness.

This report outlines the progress in implementation of TradeMark Africa and its partners for the fifth quarter of 2012/2013