EAC Secretary General assures Namanga Border Management Agencies of EAC’s full support
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th May, 2021: The EAC Secretary General, Hon (Dr.) Peter Mathuki, has called upon the various government agencies at Namanga border to hold regular consultative meetings with traders to identify and address factors that affect intra-regional trade.
Dr. Mathuki was speaking during his visit to the Namanga One Stop Border Post (OSBP) on Monday.
The EAC Secretary General was accompanied by the High Commissioner of the United Republic of Tanzania to the Republic of Kenya, Amb. Dr. John Simbachaweme.
The objective of the visit was to assess the flow of goods and services at the Namanga border, as a follow-up of the directives issued by their Excellences President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, and President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya on the removal of trade restrictions between the two countries in the spirit of EAC integration.
In his remarks, Dr. Mathuki said that trade was the major driving factor of the EAC integration, and thus the need to ensure businesspeople in the region could transact business without any hurdles.
“It is therefore our obligation as the EAC to ensure the people of the region are able to trade and support the OSBPs to the best of our ability,” said Dr. Mathuki.
While briefing the EAC delegation, Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Namanga OSBP Manager, Paul Kamkulu, said that on one hand in the FY 2019/2021, TRA issued 4,830 import declarations, while in the FY 2020/2021, 4,399 declarations were issued; and on the other hand, TRA issued 8,660 export declarations in the FY 2019/2021, and 10,227 declarations in 2020/2021.
“We have also observed a similar trend in the tonnage imports and exports, and the drop in imports to Tanzania can largely be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Kamkulu.
On his part, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Namanga Station Manager, Joseph Moywaywa, that since the adoption of the OSBP, Namanga has experienced an increase in cross-border trade, with the main items traded being farm produce, timber, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and ceramic floor tiles.
Moywaywa further said that the implementation of Covid-19 regulations for truck drivers had slowed down the cargo clearing process.
“This was experienced mostly in 2021. However, traders are now more conversant with the protocols, and this year we are seeing an increase in commonly traded goods across the border,” he added.
Representatives of traders attending the meeting noted with appreciation the lifting of the ban on maize imports into Kenya. They called for the resolution of several issues including the full implementation of the Single Customs Territory (SCT) by Kenya; the need for seamless integration of Customs systems by both countries; harmonisation of policies, agency fees and other charges such as weighbridge charges; as well as the need to introduce free Covid-19 testing by Tanzania.
In his remarks, Tanzania’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Amb. Dr. Simbachaweme, thanked all stakeholders for providing such valuable feedback on the operations of the OSBP as well as the challenges they are facing.
“This visit is part of our follow-up on our Heads of State’s directive to ensure we facilitate trade between Kenya and Tanzania. Your feedback today will enable us to address these challenges,” he added.
On his part, the EAC Secretary General, noted that currently EAC intra-regional trade was under 20%, and it is his mission to ensure that this grows to at least 50% in the next five years.
To achieve this, Dr. Mathuki urged border management officials to hold regular consultative meetings with stakeholders as well as conduct quarterly reviews to track trade volumes.
“Quarterly tracking of exports and imports will enable us to make an assessment and be able to quickly address any challenges as they arise,” Dr. Mathuki said.
Further, Dr. Mathuki disclosed that the EAC Secretariat was in the process of establishing a Trade Hotline.
“This emergency number will be set up for feedback and follow-up on trade issues, and we hope it will provide an avenue for traders to register their challenges,” said Dr. Mathuki.
The visit to Namanga marks the Secretary General’s first mission to the border points, and it is expected that he will visit all border points in the region. He assured the Namanga border management team of the EAC’s support in creating an enabling environment to foster intra-regional trade.
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.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2015 Certified