The lack of regulations governing cross border trade were a stumbling block for Tanzanian traders to effectively venture into cross-border businesses, experts said yesterday in Dar es Salaam.

Tanzania Gender Network Institute Director, Christine Warioba said this at the ‘Women Cross Border traders’ workshop organised to discuss rights, tariffs, policy and regulation governing cross border trade.

For decades, she said most of traders have not been aware of their rights or policy governing cross border trade thus giving room to corruption.

“It’s our hope that they will now acquire enough knowledge and skills that would enable them to move further,” she said.

Mariamu Athuman, a cross border trader from Tanga said lack of rules and policy had seriously affected their businesses.

She hailed the training, saying that it will give them the exposure to undertake cross border businesses.

Beatrice Ezekiel, the facilitator, said the knowledge and skills acquired will help them understand policies and regulations governing the subsector.

She admitted that lack of knowledge and policy governing cross border trade blocked free and easy trade.

February this year, the government and the Chamber of Commerce Industrial and Agriculture (TCCIA) were called on to take concrete steps to reduce red tape to enhance women’s cross border trade.

The TWCC facilitator, Ndemanyiswa Mbise, said this in her research findings on women entrepreneurs engaged in cross border trade across five borders: Rusumo, Mutukula, Sirari, Namanga and Kabanga.

She said women engaged in the trade face various problems, including gender unfriendly inspection and unnecessary delay by customs officials that make them lose some of their goods.

She conducted the research in December 2012 with support from the United Nations.

In the same vei, the East African Community ( EAC) Secretariat has embarked on a strategy to encourage ownership and protection of the integration process by citizens.

As a way of strengthening communication and sensitisation on its achievements and popularising integration benefits to all East Africans, the EAC Secretariat and GIZ, an international enterprise owned by the German government, are set to conduct sensitisation workshops at various border points including the one at Sirari/Isebania.

The workshops which were held between April 16 to 17 and from 23 to 24 targetted small traders, young entrepreneurs and women traders.

Special attention was given to the free movement of goods, capital, persons and labour across EAC partner states.

The workshops were complemented by trainings on customs clearing procedures, including payment of taxes and the consequences of crossing the border without a valid travel document, according to a statement from EAC Secretariat. Training guidelines will be developed to increase knowledge about cross-border trade for the selected target groups.

Source: IPP Media

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