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Cumulatively, 274 NTBs have been resolved since 2007, but the trading in milk, poultry, cereals (maize), juice and other agricultural products has remained contentious in the past 10 years, often making a mockery of both the Customs Union and the Common Market protocols.
Bilateral agreements to resolve trade disputes within the East African Community Common Market have not always been successful, prompting the Secretariat to step in to legally resolve them as they hurt intra-regional trade and integration. The EAC has been unable to eliminate non-tariff barriers (NTBs), with 10 still pending and the resolution of others at different levels.
Cumulatively, 274 NTBs have been resolved since 2007, but the trading in milk, poultry, cereals (maize), juice and other agricultural products has remained contentious in the past 10 years, often making a mockery of both the Customs Union and the Common Market protocols.
This has partly been blamed on the lack of operationalization of the EAC Trade Remedies Committee, which has remained dormant for more than seven years now.
Denis Karera, vice-chair of the East Africa Business Council, said that, over the past seven years, every time the discussion on trade remedies comes up, it dies immediately – “meaning there are parties within us who have no interest in seeing trade remedies implemented.”
Trade remedy laws, which are domestic or international, seek to prevent bad trade practices among countries. They range from anti-dumping to countervailing and safeguard measures.
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Uganda has closed Karuma Bridge, a key arterial connection to South Sudan and DR Congo, to traffic to pave the way for major repairs, plunging the region into significant transportation challenges. Karuma Bridge is 266km north of Kampala, and 175km south of Nimule on the Uganda-South Sudan border.
The closure of the bridge has disrupted the flow of both passenger and freight traffic, with transporters reporting long turnaround times for trucks, and high operating costs as goods reach markets late.
