BizCLIR

Compiled By:

Louise Williams

Date:

June 2009

Publication:

N/A

Abstract:

The challenges facing trade in East Africa - particularly among those countries that are relatively free of conflict - are familiar, widely discussed, and generally understood. They include, most prominently, inadequate physical infrastructure; the need for reconciliation and harmonization of tariffs and border practices; persistent interference with ground transport; institutional weaknesses (ranging from state bodies charged with negotiating trade agreements to customs, health, and standards agencies); and weak trade facilitation practices at land borders and ports. Solutions to these challenges, however, remain slow in bearing fruit. In addition to the daunting expense of improving roads, building bridges, developing rail transport, supplying ports, and strengthening storage facilities - especially for perishable agricultural products - those who wish to see East African regional and international trade flourish face a tangle of stakeholder ambivalence, resistance, and conflicts of interest. This paper summarizes the key trade issues identified over the course of diagnostic exercises conducted in six countries under the auspices of USAID's Business Climate Legal and Institutional Reform (BizCLIR) project: Ethiopia (2006); Tanzania (2007); Rwanda (2008); Burundi (2008); Uganda (2008); and Kenya (2009).

URL:

Cross-Border Trade in East African Countries