East African Community (EAC) states are steadily “dismantling bureaucratic and procedural barriers to economic integration”, TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) reveals in its second annual report covering the period 2012/2013. The donor-funded organisation said in its second annual report that much had been achieved towards unravelling bureaucratic and procedural snags to quicker, smoother and cheaper trade between the countries of East Africa. “For example, business reforms in Burundi mean that it has jumped 13 places in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report. In the private sector, farmers in Kenya can access European Union markets through uniform standards and good practices; women crossborder traders in Rwanda and business people in Tanzania have been made aware of the trade opportunities of EA integration; and mutual recognition of professional qualifications will unlock huge unexploited potential in EA. Meanwhile, partner states’ products will be subject to harmonised EAC standards that will ensure better quality, safety and sustainability of all products,” said TMEA chief executive, Frank Matsaert. He also noted that a “significant achievement” had been the development of the Mombasa Port Charter which commits stakeholders to work together and share information digitally. “This is a huge improvement on the previous situation where long delays in the release of goods were caused by poor information sharing practices. Meanwhile, in Dar es Salaam work has already begun on the modernisation of seven deep-water berths that will significantly increase capacity,” said Matsaert.
