TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) are a multi-donor organisation based in Kenya that work closely with East African Community institutions along with national governments, civil society organisations and the private sector to increase trade within the region, drive economies and as a result, reduce poverty.
They have recently released a report showcasing their recent work on the elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs), demonstrating that they are indeed winning the war! NTBs refer to a variety of restrictions that arise from rules and regulations that have been poorly designed. They can be anything from specific market requirements or prohibitions that ultimately make the importation/exportation of goods extremely difficult and costly.
The organisation work to identify and decrease the number of these NTBs through the strengthening of National Monitor Committees. Frank Matsaert, who is the CEO of TradeMark East Africa said that by eliminating these barriers in the region, prosperity will thrive as trade increases.
As the report states they have successfully contributed to the removal of 87 of 112 NTBs and since 2011, TMEA has saved US$7m on the Mombasa – Kigali Route and US$800K from road toll harmonisation in Rwanda.
To find out more about TMEAs work, head to their microsite below: http://results.trademarkea.com/ntbs/
Forum for Trade and Development 