East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th June, 2024: A Training of Trainers (TOT) session for System Administrators and Business Development Experts from Partner States' Revenue Authorities has commenced in Mombasa, Kenya as part of the Community’s initiative to enhance regional integration.
The training focuses on the EAC One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) Performance Measurement Tool – EAC OBMP PMT, an online reporting tool developed to assess the performance of OSBPs in the region.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 20th March, 2024: The East African Community (EAC) capacity building workshop on mainstreaming the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into the EAC Customs Union is currently underway in Kampala, Uganda.
The five-day workshop from 18th -22nd March, 2024 facilitated by the Trade Mark Africa under funding of the USAID- ERRA program is being attended by Senior Officials from the Ministry of Trade, Ministry EAC affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Bureau of Standards, Immigration and Customs Administrations
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 17th April, 2023:The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat with support from the World Customs Organization (WCO) under the European Union funded HS Africa Program, has commenced the process of digitalization of its Common External Tariff (CET). The digitalization efforts are aimed at enhancing the participation and access to trade information of the private sector in international trade.
The platform, which is currently under development in partnership with Global Trade Solution (GTS), will enable seamless migration of the EAC CET during transposition of Harmonized System (HS); administration and management of the Duty Remission Scheme (including application, assessment, approval and gazettement); production of information and publication of other measures affecting implementation of CET.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 19th February, 2022: East African Community Partner States have adopted the EAC Tariff Offer for Category A products amounting to 90.2 per cent (5,129 tariff lines out of the total 5,688 lines) to be liberalised in 10 years after the start of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The EAC is now among the State Parties that have met the minimum requirements for Category A to start trading on a provisional basis under AfCFTA. The EAC is negotiating the AfCFTA as a bloc.
An EAC Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) held on Friday further directed the EAC Secretariat to submit the EAC Tariff Offer for Category A to the AfCFTA as soon as possible.
The Extra-Ordinary SCTIFI also directed the EAC Secretariat to convene an Experts meeting by 15th April, 2022 to consider categories B and C of the EAC Tariff Offer.
The EAC Partner States tariff offers will now be subjected to verification by the AfCFTA Secretariat, which is based in Accra, Ghana.
The AfCFTA has so far verified 29 tariff offers to ensure that they meet the modalities and this will increase to 34 once the EAC Partner States offers are verified.
Verification of the tariff offers will ensure that AfCFTA Member States that meet the minimum requirements start trading under the Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.
Speaking at a media briefing, Kenya’s PS for EAC, Dr. Kevit Desai who also chaired the Extra-Ordinary SCTIFI meeting, said that AfCFTA would give Partner States access to an extended market of more than 900 million people.
Dr. Desai said that the Community would also benefit from increased opportunities for trade, employment creation, industrialisation and economic prosperity.
“The expanded opportunities include manufactured products, value addition, regional value chains, agro-processing, motor vehicle assembly, pharmaceuticals, auto spares industries and mineral processing among other areas,” said Dr. Desai.
On the determination of the maximum rate for the Common External Tariff (CET), the SCTIFI directed Partner States to consult on the analysis undertaken by the Secretariat on the proposed maximum CET rates and submit comments on the analysis and the proposed maximum CET rates of 30%, 33% and 35% to the Secretariat by 15th March, 2022.
The Ministers directed the Secretariat to convene an Extra-Ordinary SCTIFI meeting on 18th March, 2022 to deliberate on the maximum CET rate.
Dr. Desai told the media that it had been agreed that Partner States consult key stakeholders on the proposed maximum CET rates and submit comments to the Secretariat by 15th March, 2022.
The EAC Secretariat made a presentation to the SCTIFI on the analysis it had undertaken on the proposed rates of 30%, 33% and 35% for products classified under the 4th band.
The Secretariat said that indicators of measure of benefit for products identified to be covered in the maximum tariff band are positive except for welfare loss, which is transitory.
The proposed various maximum CET rates will have diverse macroeconomic impacts. On the implications for revenue, the average potential short-term impact on EAC Partner States total tax revenues increases by 3.9 % (scenario 1 – 30%), 4.9% `(scenario 2 – 33%) and 5.5% (scenario 3 – 35%).
On employment, employment generation increases marginally with 0.02 % (5,055 persons) under the maximum rate of 30%; 0.03% (6,089 persons) with a maximum rate of 33% applied; and 0.03% (6,781 persons) increase in average EAC formal employment under the maximum rate of 35%.
On the implications for trade, potential trade diversion into the EAC (intra-EAC trade) increases by $13.03 million under the 30% maximum rate, $16.51 million with a maximum rate of 33% and 18.9 with the highest rate of 35%.
On industrial development, industrial production increases under each of the proposed maximum CET rates of 30%, 33% and 35%, with the highest rate of 35% conferring the greatest gains in industrial output. There is a 0.02% ($7.7 million) increase in industrial output with an applied maximum rate of 30%; 0.03% ($10.3 million) increase in production with a rate of 33%; and 0.04% ($12.1 million) increase in output with the highest rate at 35%.
For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka Senior Public Relations Officer Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 768 552087 Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 13th August, 2021: Traders from the East African Community (EAC) stand to benefit from faster clearance of their goods and lower costs of running their business following the signing of a Joint Action Plan between the EAC and the Government of India.
The Joint Action Plan will pave the way for a full Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between the two parties.
East African Community, Arusha, Tanzania: November 9th, 2020: The 48th East African Revenue Authorities Commissioners General’s (EARACGs) meeting to discuss experiences and address challenges facing tax administrations in the region will be held virtually on 11th November, 2020.
The meeting themed “Rethink, Restart and Reinvent: Our Road to Recovery”, will concentrate on lessons learnt by the EAC Partner States during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the innovative approaches that will shore up revenue in the region.
REPORT OF THE EAC HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE ON TRADE INTEGRATION HELD AT THE RADISSON BLU HOTEL, NAIROBI FROM THE 25TH TO 27TH SEPTEMBER, 2019
a) Introduction
1. The conference was held to commemorate 20 years of the East African Community and 15 years of the East African Customs Union. The overarching goal of the conference was to have an open, honest and critical self-examination as a region, with regard to what has been achieved, what has worked and what needs to be done to move the regional integration forward as well as improving the EAC trade policy and other instruments. The outputs of the conference are key to making EAC an attractive investment bloc, boost industrialization, infrastructure development as well as embracing emerging technologies for economic development. The future of the EAC can only be assured if there is continued support by all Partner States, both at policy formulation and implementation levels.
East African Community Secretariat, 26thSeptember, 2019: Nairobi: The East African Community High Level Trade Integration Conference themed “Enhancing Trade Integration in the East African Community” kicked off Wednesday at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
Addressing the participants, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for EAC and Regional Development, Mr. Adan Mohamed, said the region had made tremendous progress in the realm of trade facilitation including the transformation of Customs processes, the introduction of technology in driving regional business, re-orienting border operations under the coordinated border management concept, and re-engineering immigration procedures.
East African Community Secretariat, 24thSeptember, 2019: Nairobi:All is set for the High Level Trade Integration Conference that is due to take place from 25th to 27th September, 2019 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
Secretary in the Ministry of EAC and Regional Development, Dr. Margret Mwakima disclosed that the conference it was anticipated that the Conference would be attended by more than 300 key players from the East African region, International and Regional Economic Communities, exhibitors, stakeholders and Government officials.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 20th February, 2019: The sub-committee meeting on Customs Cooperation organized by African Union Commission(AUC) together with Regional Economic Communities(RECs) is underway at the Gold Crest Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania.
The main objective of the sub-committee meeting is to exchange ideas on various Trade Facilitation activities being, undertaken by respective RECs, as well as to ensure the proper coordination of projects, programmes and activities between the Customs Departments of the RECs and the Customs Cooperation Division of the Commission.
The three-day meeting will also provide updates with regards to the adoption of the AU Wide Trade Facilitation Strategy by the relevant Policy Organs of the AU. Furthermore, meeting will identify areas of cooperation, the form of cooperation and where possible, consider undertaking joint activities.
Speaking during the official opening session Director of Trade at the EAC Secretariat, Alhaj Rashid Kibowa said the sub-committee meeting on Customs Cooperation is an opportunity for AUC and RECs to strengthening cooperation on matters regarding Customs.
He urged the participants to discuss in details matters of cooperation in Customs and come up with the way forward so as to enable proper coordination among the RECs to avoid duplication and mainly to put in good use the limited resources available.
Notes to Editor
The 8th AUC/RECs Sub Committee Meeting on Customs Cooperation meeting is organized following recommendations of the 7th AUC-RECs sub -committee held in Casablanca, Morocco in April 2018 in order to promote Trade Facilitation on the Continent.
During the 7th Meeting, the RECs presented and shared respective areas of interventions. The 7th Meeting also considered the Draft African Union Trade Facilitation Strategy, which was subsequently presented for considering by AUSCDGCs during their 10th Ordinary Session held in Moron,Comos in September 2018.
-ENDS-
For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
