Transcript East Africa Regional Integration Meeting Arusha 2nd

East Africa Regional Integration
Meeting Arusha
2nd November 2010
TANGO
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 NTBs
cont’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 NTBs
CHALLENGES
• 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 NTBs
cont’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
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MASSWE NM
TANGO
PO Box 31147
Dar Es Salaam
TANZANIA
[email protected]
om
• http//www.tango.or.tz/