EAC trade regime targets barriers facing women, youth

DAR ES SALAAM: WOMEN and youth engaged in small-scale cross-border trade could gain better access to regional markets as the East African Community (EAC) moves to simplify customs procedures and address barriers that make it difficult for small businesses to trade formally.

The opportunity follows the EAC Council of Ministers’ approval of an updated list of 565 products eligible for clearance under the Simplified Trade Regime (STR), which allows qualifying consignments worth up to 2,000 US dollars to use a Simplified Certificate of Origin, subject to compliance with EAC rules of origin.

The list includes commonly traded goods such as maize, beans, rice, cassava, bananas, avocados and honey, offering small businesses a simplified route to move eligible products through official border posts and reach buyers across the region.

However, the regime’s impact will depend on whether traders can access information about eligible products, understand customs requirements and overcome other barriers that increase the complexity of cross-border transactions.

East African Business Council (EABC) Executive Director, Mr Ahmed Farah, said raising awareness of the STR and improving access to trade information were essential to increasing small-scale traders’ uptake of the arrangement.

“EAC Partner States should publish and display the updated list at border posts, Trade Information Desks and online portals so traders can identify eligible goods before undertaking transactions,” he said.

EABC case studies and publicprivate dialogues on Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) have identified limited awareness, inadequate information on eligible products and complex customs procedures as major challenges facing smallscale traders, particularly women and youth.

These findings highlight the gap between having simplified trade rules and ensuring that traders can use them.

For small businesses operating with limited resources, uncertainty over documentation, product eligibility and border procedures can complicate transactions and make it harder to plan cross-border business activities.

The concerns were raised during an EABC-Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Public-Private Dialogue held on June this year at the Kobero-Kabanga One Stop Border Post, where EABC advocated for publication and dissemination of the approved list to help traders understand the opportunities available under the STR.

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Similar concerns emerged during engagements at Taveta-Holili, Namanga and Busia, underscoring the need for accessible information and more predictable border procedures across the region.

To address these challenges, EABC has established Trade Information Booths at border posts under its project with AGRA, Promoting Intra-EAC Agri-Food Cross-Border Trade by Addressing Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade.

The booths serve as information centres for women and youth traders, with televisions and tablets showing step-by-step videos on trading cereals and horticultural products under the STR.

They also provide access to channels for reporting NTBs, submitting complaints and obtaining market information.

The initiative is intended to help traders understand the procedures involved in moving goods across borders and identify channels through which they can seek assistance when encountering obstacles.

EABC has also introduced an online Cross-Border Traders Help Guide and a multilingual WhatsApp chatbot.

The services help traders identify eligible goods, understand EAC trading procedures, find buyers and sellers of cereals and horticultural products and report trade barriers.

Beyond improving access to information, EABC is calling for reforms to reduce the practical costs and complications of crossborder trade.

Mr Farah urged partner states to streamline sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and technical barriers to trade procedures, promote mutual recognition of certificates, harmonise operating procedures and publish border agency charges.

These measures could make simplified clearance more effective by addressing obstacles that remain even when goods qualify under the STR.

Depending on the product and destination, traders may still need permits, inspections and compliance with domestic tax and other regulatory requirements.

Transparent charges and more consistent procedures could also help small businesses anticipate the costs of moving goods and make better-informed decisions when trading across borders.

However, the actual impact will depend on how effectively partner states implement the proposed changes.

EABC has further called for mobile e-customs applications that enable pre-arrival clearance of eligible goods while integrating relevant SPS and technical requirements.

Mr Farah cited the eCUSTOMS application introduced by the Kenya Revenue Authority as a model for regional development.

Such digital services could help traders establish requirements before reaching border posts, reducing uncertainty and making transactions easier to plan.

Wider access to digital information would also complement the Trade Information Booths by providing guidance beyond physical border locations.

The STR allows qualifying consignments valued at no more than 2,000 US dollars to use simplified clearance procedures.

Traders must nevertheless confirm that their products and Harmonised System codes appear on the approved list, that the goods originate in an EAC Partner State and that all applicable requirements are met.

For women and youth, effective implementation could make regional markets more accessible and provide a stronger foundation for business formalisation and expansion.