Countries within the East African Community have been asked to abolish Non-Tariff Barriers to allow the free movement of goods and services across their borders to facilitate trade.
The National Assembly’s Committee on Regional Integration has said that the failure by the seven-member states that make up EAC to abolish the tariffs 16 years after the implementation of the Customs Union was affecting trade.
The committee chairperson, Wanjiku Muhia, said that traders within the EAC bloc had registered serious frustrations over the tariff barriers. She was speaking after a visit by the Committee to the Semi-Autonomous institutions of the East Africa Community (EAC) in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Committee visited four Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs) in Arusha, including the EAC Secretariat, the EAC Competition Authority, the EAC Court of Justice, and the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI).
The purpose of the visit was to appreciate the operations of the EAC organs that provide services in the facilitation of the EAC integration.
And in a report to Parliament, Ms Muhia who is also the Kipipiri MP, also called for the creation of an awareness programme across EAC on the role of Parliament in regional integration.
She argued that this would help enhance a mutual relationship and networking between MPs and EAC organs and institutions.
Further, the team also observed that there is a lack of a legal framework for the elimination of the NTBs due to the delay in the finalization of the amendment of the EAC Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers Act (2017), and its Regulations.
“The current financial shortages occasioned by delayed partner State contributions and dwindling development partner support continue to adversely affect the performance of all the EAC institutions thus frustrating the implementation of key projects and programs meant to uplift the lives of East Africans,” Ms Muhia said in the report.
The team therefore recommended that all partner states within EAC should strive to pay their obligatory contributions to ensure a full realization of the aspirations of the community as advocated for in the treaty establishing the EAC.
In addition, the Committee also called for the speeding up of the process of finalizing the amendment of the EAC Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers Act (2017) and its regulations.
The report now awaits debate on the floor of the House.
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