Regional instabilities ‘threaten integration’

The Chief Executive Officer for Trademark East Africa (TMEA) Frank Matsaert has projected ongoing conflicts in the region and rising inflation as some of the challenges the integration process might face this year.He made the remarks while launching TMEA annual report where it was announced that the organization had spent $40 million in supporting the integration process in all member countries for the last year since it started.TMEA is a multi-donor funded agency that provides support for increased regional trade and economic integration in East Africa.“The challenge this year is to keep pace with our partners’ needs, but we have identified that we have already proved that we can scale up quickly and efficiently,” Matsaert said. “The macro environment will present challenges including the economic factors such as slower growth and rising inflation.” TMEA has pledged to continue focusing on supporting the government through various programmes to ensure Rwandans continue repealing more benefits from the integration process.Matsaert, however, added that the EAC states are steadily laying the foundations for increased prosperity by dismantling bureaucratic and procedural barriers to economic integration.On inflation, he said Rwanda still leads the regional bloc with single digit of 5.92 percent.This year, he said, the organisation is expected to continue providing support with focus on creating One Stop border management to facilitate traders in the member countries.John Kalisa, Rwanda’s TMEA Programmes Manage,r told The New Times that much had been achieved through TMEA’s intervention adding that they will continue working with the government to achieve more benefits.He said TMEA assisted Rwanda Revenue Authority to initiate the electronic single window that facilitates international trade by speeding up and simplifying information flows between traders and government institutions.The US$ 3.33 million project, the first of its kind in the Sub-Saharan Africa, is a web page that links government clearing agencies and traders.“Our focus this year will year will continue to be the same; to support the programmes that have positive impact on Rwanda’s integration agenda, especially in implementation of customs union and common market protocol”, he said.On the issue of trade barriers, the official said much had been achieved in the elimination of NTBs after intervening to support the national monitoring committees that examine the existing barriers in the region.“In August, we will facilitate Rwanda’s negotiations with Tanzania on the elimination of trade barriers as we have done before with Uganda,” Kalisa added.This year, the organisation will extend its activities to South Sudan.

National

Regional instabilities ‘threaten integration’