Tax directors and commissioner generals from across the continent are in Kampala to lobby for the creation and adoption of one single window system as the African Continental Free Trade Area plans to roll out next year.

According to the AfCFTA, the single window system could reduce transaction time and costs especially in the process of documentation of exports and imports across the continent.

Speaking at the opening of the five-day 11th African Union Directors conference at the Commonwealth Resort, Munyonyo, Rossette Nyirikindi Katungye, the advisor on Regional Integration, Office of the Chairperson at AU, said intra-African trade is expected to grow when the tax bodies deepen their linkages.

“The first thing is to have clear rules on how we are going to trade and some of the contentious issues include quick dispute resettlements, clear rules of origin and reduction of non-tax barriers. All these will reduce the cost of doing business and increase our trading as Africa,” she said.

The conference is under the theme ‘The Entry into Force of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Implications to African Customs Administrations.’

Dicksons Kateshumbwa, the commissioner for Customs at Uganda Revenue Authority, said some issues have been resolved to promote intra-Africa trade.

“We are discussing issues of borders, tonnage, compliance, capacity building, gender, among others; the recommendations will be tabled before the director generals,” he said.

According to Kateshumbwa, just like Uganda has the East African single window system, countries hope the single window system can be replicated across Africa.

“There is a lot of trade that transits through various countries. We want to see how the single window can be rolled across the continent,” he said.

Kateshumbwa added: “The borders are just barriers. The negotiations are going on. As customs, we are preparing ourselves as the AfCFTA is yet to come into force.”

Katungye said Africa is not trading with itself because there is only 15 percent of intra-trade compared to 55 percent between Africa and other continents.

“It is not surprising to find that in some countries all their goods are from Europe and outside Africa. That is why we are working on modalities of how Africa can trade with itself,” she said.

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Source: The Observer

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