PRESS RELEASE: 08.04.2019
EABC - ITC SIGN MOU TO IMPROVE CAPACITY TO ADVOCATE FOR REMOVAL OF TRADE BARRIERS
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ITC and EABC kick-off a training on trade facilitation
for local business associations
Arusha – EABC partners with the International Trade Centre (ITC)
under the 4 year EU-EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP) to improve capacity to advocate for the removal of trade barriers, standards and harmonization of sanitary
and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and enhance export competitiveness. This new
partnership will support EABC to improve the
capacity of
the private sector and trade supporting institutions
on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in East Africa in a bid to
remove barriers to trade.
“It is undisputable
fact that the TFA is increasingly becoming an important tool for countries to
improve their business environment by initiating various trade facilitation reforms,” said Hon. Peter Mathuki, CEO EABC
during the official opening ceremony of the regional training on trade
facilitation.
Witnessing the
signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is ITC representative, Ms. Victoria
Tuomisto who in collaboration with EABC is conducting the Training for Masters
of Trainers on Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), that kick off today at EABC
Secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania.
Delays and red tape hamper the movement of
goods across borders for traders. In the East African Community (EAC),
inefficient trade procedures and non-tariff barriers represent an obstacle to
expanded intra-regional trade and deepened regional integration. Trade
facilitation – the simplification, modernization and harmonization of export
and import processes – has thus become a key issue for the global trade system
and for regional economic communities, such as the EAC, to create new thriving
opportunities for businesses that are operating in regional and international
markets.
With provisions to speed up the movement,
release and clearance of goods, the WTO
Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) –
which entered into force in February 2017 – represents a viable option to
resolve cross-border trade inefficiencies.
Under the EU-EAC Market Access Upgrade
Programme (MARKUP), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the East African
Business Council (EABC) are conducting a training-of-trainers event on
the TFA from 8-12 April 2019 in Arusha, Tanzania.
The training aims to build the capacity of
local trade professionals to understand the provisions of the Agreement and
empower business support associations and traders to address cross-border trade
inefficiencies efficiently and advocate for their removal. Additional TFA trainings will then be replicated autonomously
in every EAC member states – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
As a result of this regional initiative, project stakeholders will achieve greater sensitization
of EAC trade operators on the need to simplify cross-border trade procedures
and to promote better participation of
the private sector in public-private dialogue platforms responsible for the
implementation of the TFA at the national level.
ITC and the EABC look forward to strengthening public-private dialogue and
contributing to improving the business climate in East Africa while enhancing the private sector’s ability to address
procedural obstacles to intra-regional trade.
This capacity-building initiative is an
extension of the efforts undertaken since the entry into force of the TFA in 2017, and is part of a strengthened
collaboration between EABC, the EAC
Secretariat and ITC through the financial contribution of the European Union.
Note to
editors
About the
International Trade Centre (ITC) – The International Trade Centre
(ITC) is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United
Nations based in Geneva, Switzerland. ITC helps small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) in developing and transition countries to connect and become
more competitive in global markets, contributing to the sustainable economic
development in the Aid for Trade agenda and to the Sustainable Development
Goals of the United Nations.
About the
East African Business Council (EABC) – The East African Business Council (EABC)
is the regional apex body of private sector associations and corporates in East
Africa with a single purpose of driving the East African Community (EAC)
integration process through trade and investment. To achieve this EABC works with the public sector, EAC
institutions, the academia and the
business community to unlock the economic potential through increased access to
markets, enhanced trade environment and improved business competitiveness.
For more information, please visit: http://eabc-online.com
About EU-EAC
Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP) – The EU-EAC Market Access Upgrade
Programme (MARKUP) is a four-year regional development initiative that aims to
contribute to the economic growth of the EAC region. The programme assists small
and middle-sized enterprises in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda by targeting specific agricultural
commodities (i.e. avocado, cocoa, coffee, spices, tea and horticulture). More
specifically, it aims to support increased exports of agribusiness and
horticultural products, promote regional integration and enhance SMEs’
participation into intra-regional trade
and the European market. MARKUP is funded under the 11th European
Development Fund and is implemented by ITC, the United Nations Organization for
Industrial Development and the Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit
and other national partners.
Contact:
International Trade Centre
Victoria Tuomisto
Associate Expert for Trade Facilitation
T: +41227300337
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East African
Business Council
Adrian Njau
Trade & Policy Advisor
T: +255272520162
E: anjau@eabc-online.com
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