The East Africa Community member states failure to fully comply with the Common Market Protocol is hindering trade liberalisation in the region, a report shows.
However, EAC deputy secretary general for finance and administration, Jesca Eriyo, said reforms undertaken since 2014 have reduced the number of non-conforming measures to 59 in 2016, down from 63 in 2014.
Eriyo was speaking in Kampala, Uganda, during the launch of the EAC Common Market Scorecard 2016.
“The scorecard will strengthen the regional market, grow the private sector, and deliver benefits to consumers,” Eriyo said.
Scorecard 2016 measures partner states’ compliance to the free movement of capital, services, and goods. The World Bank group and Trade Mark East Africa took 18 months to develop the concept at the request of the EAC secretariat, which alongside partner states supervised its creation.
The report shows Burundi continues to earn full points on recognition of certificates of origin, an issue repeatedly identified as a significant non-tariff barrier in 2014. Kenya continues to score 90 per cent. Tanzania’s recognition of certificates of origin has improved from 50 to 60 per cent, while Rwanda and Uganda’s scores have both declined, “indicating a worsening performance in terms of recognising certificates of origin of other EAC member states”.
The EAC average of resolution for new NTBs for the 2016 period was about 54 per cent, better than the 38 per cent rate for common market scorecard 2014, she said.
Eriyo called for greater information sharing on the treaty and protocol provisions.
World Bank’s East Africa, trade and competitiveness practice manager Catherine Masinde, however, said the region has “done a commendable job in removing barriers to free movement of capital, services and goods, although more should be done”.
Uganda East African Business Council vice chairman Kassim Omary said: “It is of utmost importance to measure the extent to which the EAC partner states are translating the Common Market Protocol into policies that support actualisation of free movement of people and workers, goods, services, and the rights of establishment and residence within the EAC Partner States.”
Source: The Star

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