EAC advances trade liberalisation in services

ARUSHA: THE East African Community has made notable strides in liberalising trade in services under the EAC Common Market Protocol, focusing on seven key sectors to enhance regional integration and economic growth across member states.

The liberalisation of trade in services, governed by the EAC Common Market Protocol, encompasses key sectors such as business, communication, distribution, education, finance, tourism and transport.

The Business Development Director, Mr Sempeho Manongi from the Ministry of Industry and Trade said Tanzania remains committed to deepening liberalisation and supporting the private sector to leverage these frameworks.

“Tanzania is dedicated to advancing liberalisation and empowering the private sector to take full advantage of these frameworks,” he said during the Service Sector Capacity Building Workshop organised by the East African Business Council (EABC).

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Furthermore, under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Tanzania has submitted offers in five priority sectors, including business, communication, financial, tourism and transport services, opening significant opportunities for our service providers to access new markets across Africa.

The government, in close collaboration with the private sector, continues to implement supportive policies and programmes aimed at enhancing competitiveness in services trade.

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Key initiatives include the Blueprint for Regulatory Reforms, which simplifies business licensing and lowers compliance costs for service enterprises; the ongoing National Services Export Strategy to identify priority subsectors and boost export readiness and continued investments in digital infrastructure, skills development and trade facilitation, notably through the Tanzania Single Window System and the Digital Economy Framework.

Policy and Legal Officer, Ms Hidaya Mkwizu from EABC highlighted that the workshop targets exportready companies in priority service sectors, focusing on practical application of rules and business concepts to enhance regional and continental trade participation.

She noted Tanzania’s rapidly expanding services sector, with strong growth in tourism, transport, logistics, ICT, finance and education.