During the Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) with Trade Facilitation Agencies at the One-Stop Borders across the East African Community, the team came up with a set of recommendations to ease business across the borders.
The 13 recommendations were made to EAC by EABC-TMEA PPD with Trade Facilitation Agencies at Namanga One Stop Border Post.
The recommendations were expected to help the bloc adhere to the necessary requirements in a bid to improve the ease of doing business in the region.
13 recommendations to EAC
- Need to reduce police checks along the routes along Arusha-Namanga – Nairobi route
- Need for URT to allow parking cargo trucks at the Border Post (OSBP) than parking at Longido-
- Need for URT to consider the process of issuing temporary passports at Namanga (entry points) other than going to the Longido district.
- Need for URT/Kenya to facilitate their respective border regulatory agencies to operate a 24hr working schedule at Namanga OSBP (Cargo clearance) –
- Need for URT to allocate special area for cross border women (Beads traders) at inside the OSBP-
- Need to install weigh bridge at Namanga One Stop Border Post to facilitate transporters
- Need to for more awareness on Simplified Trade Regime – To specify Personal vs Business goods, quantities through Sensitization of Cross Border Traders on the Simplified Trade Regime (STR)
- Need for harmonization of domestic taxes- Internal taxes
- Standards agencies to mutually recognize quality marks from all partner states – KEBS, TBS
- Traders to submit evidence on trade barriers to relevant authorities and business associations
- Heads of Namanga OSBP to allow temporary passes to trade at Bisil/Longido which is beyond gazetted area distances – Good neighbourlihood
- Need for close collaboration between security agencies and cross border traders to avoid closure of the Namanga Highway because of accidents / protests
- Cross border traders encouraged to take advantage of EABC /EALS legal clinics at the border post.
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