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(HERALD) Non-trade barriers rise in Africa

Non-trade barriers rise in Africa
New Ziana.

Non-trade barriers are on the increase in Africa and are threatening growth of trade within the continent, an official said yesterday.

Seeing the increasing trend, Africa’s three trading blocs Sadc, Comesa and the East Africa Community (EAC) have come up with a system that allows affected people to report online incidences of non trade barriers (NTBs). Yesterday Zimbabwe hosted the first on-line reporting training and Free Trade Area sensitisation workshop.

A representative of the trading blocs, Mupelwa Sichilima told participants that NTBs were reversing the gains that had been made by a reduction in tariffs on goods in the regions.

"Studies undertaken in Sadc, EAC and Comesa have revealed that there is a proliferation of non-trade barriers to trade in the region," he said.

He said member states of the three regional economic communities had recognised that NTBs had the effect of eroding benefits from tariff reduction if they remain unresolved by restricting and in some cases stopping trade transactions altogether.

NTBs are measures other than tariffs that impede or restrict international trade such as customs clearance procedures, import and technical regulations.

Sichilima said the online reporting and monitoring mechanisms developed by the trading blocs was one fastest way of eliminating non-trade barriers.

Speaking at the same meeting, Geoffrey Osoro, a Comesa senior trade policy expert said tariff reductions had resulted in the proliferation of NTBs as some governments clandestinely seek to protect their local industries by limiting imports through implementing unorthodox trade barriers.

Other governments were adopting NTBs to safeguard the health of their people, animals, for national security and to guard against revenue losses.

Osoro said a common strategy had thus been adopted with a view to eliminating NTBs in the three economic groupings.

The strategies incorporated various policy, institutional as well as evaluation monitoring mechanisms.

It was important for member states, he noted, to comply with treaties and implement agreed decisions on eliminating NTBs.

He said there was also need for a re-definition of the role of government in trade issues, accusing some governments of "imposition new trade requirements outside of treaties".

Director for international trade in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Beatrice Mtetwa said harmonisation of NTB eliminating systems was crucial to promote trade on the continent.

She mentioned bribery and corruption as some of the common practice non trade barriers on the continent.

The one-day training workshop sought to raise awareness and build capacity in government and the private sector on identifying, reporting, monitoring and eliminating NTBs. — New Ziana.

Labels: TRADE, TRADE BARRIERS

posted by MrK @ 4:47 PM