Letters
How the EAC can assist partner states to trade effectively
The official launch of the East African Common market by the heads of states of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, is a significant step towards the integration of Africa.
Besides economic growth and strengthening of diplomatic relations, competition among partners states will be upped and therefore quality and affordable goods will be available to consumers. Employment and poverty will also lessen.
However, the Common Market Protocol needs to be clearly defined and information shared with partner states lest the very document become the barrier to trade.
Rules and regulations of trade across border points for example, must be harmonised as corruption and numerous road blocks remain bottlenecks to free trade.
Burundi and Rwanda are French speaking countries but there is no French version of the protocol on the EAC website. How will the two countries be incorporated fully in the common market if their citizens are not fully acquainted with the protocol?
Regional borders are swarmed with small traders who command a significant share of the trade volumes but it remains unaccounted for.
The EAC website lacks lustre data which those interested in the development of trade can refer to. In order to expand markets and reach other regional blocs, EAC should encourage specialisation among partner states. Specialisation enhances quality and competitiveness.
EAC in collaboration with trade ministries must support capacity building of resource persons as well.
There is no doubt that EAC and trade ministries have few or no staff with international specialisation like Trade Law and Intellectual Property Rights, hence the region is under-represented in negotiations at World Trade Organisations and other international trade meetings.
EAC lacks funds to marshal its operations which inhibits its scope of programmes. EAC must raise funds independently to implement programmes and support member states in their endeavours to facilitate trade development.
The EAC must advice and support governments in physical infrastructure, custom harmonisation, technical standard and harmonise payment of services.
The private sector is the backbone of the economy but unfortunately trade ministries are not working closely with it to foster development. Instead, the private sector views the government as a trade barrier.
EAC must foster private sector business involvement in trade related matters. Although partner states have integrated trade reforms and policy in their development agenda, implementation remains a challenge.
The signing of the Common Market Protocol is just the beginning of the integration process; more work lies ahead if the full benefits of free trade are to be realised.
Eugene Jernigan
Kenya
