East Africa Regional Integration Meeting Arusha

2nd November 2010TANGO

BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY (BIEAC)

A project implemented by CUTS Geneva Resource Centre in partnership with ESRF and TANGO with support from

the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)

PRESENTATION OUTLOOK

• THE POSITION AND ROLE OF TANGO IN THE PROJECT

• CSOs’ POSITION ON NTBs

• CSOs’ CONCERNS ON NTBs

• CSOs’ CHALLENGES ON NTBs

• CSOs’ NTBs Recommendations

• CONCLUSION

TANGO BIEAC ACTIVITIES AS AN OUTREACH PARTNER OF CUTS

GRC• Identifying project subject; Revenue Implications

of the EC-EAC EPAs and NTBs in EAC for phase I and II respectively

• Confirming research ToRs.• Making inputs in the research findings/report• Dissemination of the research finding/report to

CSOs and the public through national and awareness creation workshops.

TANGO BIEAC ACTIVITIES AS AN OUTREACH PARTNER OF CUTS

GRC cont’d• Preparing CSOs position from national

and awareness creation workshops.

• Preparation of trade guide from CSOs position

• Holding round table meetings with the government on the research findings and CSOs’ position on the research findings

National and awareness creation workshops.

• Two (2) National workshops done in Eastern and Central Zones where about 100 people from the government private sector and CSOs attended

• Two (2) Awareness creation workshops done in Southern Highlands and Lake Zones where about 60 people mostly CSOs and LGAs officials attended the workshops.

National and awareness creation workshops

• CSOs’ position on NTBs was prepared from the national and awareness creation workshops.

• The CSOs’ position was shared in the national workshops where government officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Marketing (MITM) attended.

CSOs’ POSITION ON NTBs• CSOs agree with the research findings and

Article 13 of the Custom Union Protocol to eliminate non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to enhance regional integration accelerating economic growth that leads to improvement peoples’ livelihood.

• CSOs agree that there are advantages in eliminating NTBs as pointed out in the research report. These advantages include increase in trade activities and volume between EAC member countries.

CSOs’ POSITION ON NTBscont’d

• CSOs agree that elimination of the NTBs will increase economic growth i.e. GDP

• CSOs agree with the recommendations mentioned in the research report on NTBs.

CSOs’ CONCERNS ON NTBs• Bureaucratic and cumbersome trade rules including

the rules of origin, procedures and regulations especially at the boarders and roadblocks encourage corruption and promotes informal cross border trade

• Political ban of export of food stuffs in the name of food security is actually promoting food insecurity as it discourages peasants from food production as there is no market that pays.

• NTBs are sometimes a deliberate move by member countries to protect local industries and raw materials

• Inefficient bureau of standards, revenue authorities, Immigration, Customs, Police, Licensing bodies etc

CSOs’ TAKE ON NTBsCHALLENGES

• Poor packaging and production technology• Limited access to markets and poor market

information systems• Poor marketing networks and coalitions• Price setting mechanisms and control

systems/measures.• The research findings have proved that there is

an increase in the economic growth between 2005 and 2008 in Tanzania but the purchasing power and the living standards of the majority are declining with the increase in GDP.

CSOs’ CONCERNS ON NTBs

• Lack of political will to implement fully the EAC Treaty and protocols.

• Most information on trade are in English technical language that is not easily understood by most Tanzanians.

• Low understanding and analysis skills of NTBs mechanisms and other trade policies, protocols and processes.

CSOs’ CONCERNS ON NTBscont’d

• Trade facilities e.g. infrastructure, good governance and trade knowledge and skills integration remain the main greatest NTBs to trade in the region particularly in Tanzania.

CSOs’ Recommendations • The government should enhance information sharing

regarding various trade arrangements which are attendant to the EAC integration process (this will include intensive media training regarding EAC Integration issues).

• CSOs to organise themselves better from local to regional level in order to improve information flow and legitimate representation mechanisms to facilitate easy engagement in policies and influence

• The government to support Tanzanian manufacturers to compete

• The govern to be serious and responsible for food security measures like the national strategic grain reserve (NSGR) and food productivity.

CSOs’ Recommendations cont’d

• Increase the efficiency of the Tanzania Bureau of Standards so that it can have a presence even at the lower levels of the district so that even small scale producers can have their products certified and labelled (bar code).

• Producers to be educated on rules of origin and standards

• Harmonisation of the regional trade laws and regulations including immigration laws

CSOs’ Recommendations cont’d• Speed up the harmonisation process of tariffs in

the region. • Improve the efficiency of weigh bridges

management and facilities to avoid delays and corruption.

• Roll-out the anti-corruption measures similar to those used by Rwanda because they have proven to be workable.

• Minimise bureaucracy in trade regulations and procedures particularly at boarder crossing.

• Stop political interference in technical trade matters like cross-boarder trade.

CONCLUSION• The workshops were highly recommended by

the participants as the topic was relevant to the people's livelihood.

• The CSOs wanted ESRF to do more researches that are more peoples’-needs oriented.

• CSOs demanded TANGO to carry out more awareness creation on peoples’ concerns

• Most CSOs and people are not involved in the EAC integration affairs due to ignorance, stringent participation structures and systems, limited access to EAC affairs information, and incompetence in trade issues etc

CONCLUSION cont’d• Low commitment of the government to support the

engagement of CSOs in EAC integration processes.• Most CSOs do not have trade issues in their

programmes hence it is difficult for them to engage in EAC integration activities.

• Engagement in the EAC integration processes is expensive and CSOs do not have enough funds

• Limited trade knowledge and skills by most traders• However trade infrastructures, good governance,

productivity, quality/standards, trade knowledge and skills remain the main greatest NTBs to trade in the region particularly in Tanzania.

THE END

THANK U FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND CONTRIBUTIONS

• MASSWE NM• TANGO• PO Box 31147• Dar Es Salaam• TANZANIA• masswenm@yahoo.c

om• http//www.tango.or.tz/