The African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will, in February next year, pilot an online tool for reporting and resolving trade barriers. According to Dr Oswald Chinyamakobvu, a senior technical adviser at the African Union Commission’s Department of Trade and Industry, with trade under the AfCFTA set to start in July next year, development of this mechanism to address nontariff trade barriers (NTBs) is a priority. Ranging from import bans, restrictive product standards and quotas to problems with weigh bridges, traffic authorities and border clearing and customs issues, NTBs represent some of the most prolific barriers to intraAfrica trade. While the AfCFTA aims to increase intra-continental trade by removing duties for 97% of all goods and services, it is in fact nontariff barriers that are the bigger issue on the continent. It is commonly agreed that non-tariff barriers restrict trade far more than tariffs do. A report released earlier this year by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) found that African countries could gain $20 billion per year if they addressed non-tariff measures at continental level. Chinyamakobvu said the impact of NTBs on trade was firmly understood and as part of the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Goods, regional leaders had therefore agreed to establish an African-wide mechanism for reporting, monitoring and eliminating non-tariff barriers. He said any country or private entity would be able to access the online tool. “It does require registering on the system and it will not be anonymous,” he said. Once registered, any NTB anywhere in Africa can be logged into the system which can be accessed via mobile, tablet or computer. “It will be available in four African languages,” said Chinyamakobvu. “The idea is to report the NTB immediately, no matter where the complainant is. This will allow the NTB coordination unit to react immediately. The complaints will be addressed at country level.” This, he said, would see a complaint or an issue brought to a country’s attention as quickly as possible after the incident occurred allowing for the process of resolution to start. “The ultimate goal is to see these non-tariff barriers removed by countries to allow trade to flourish.” He said the system would be piloted prior to the start of trade under the AfCFTA to allow for any teething problems to be sorted out. “We don’t expect this to be easy, but we will refine the system and procedures as we go. At present NTBs just take too long to resolve. This online tool is an attempt to improve the situation at ground level.”