African countries plan single trading bloc
Daily News | Tuesday, 23 October 2012
African countries plan single trading bloc
Written by MARC NKWAME in Arusha
AFRICAN countries are planning to create a single trading bloc by the year 2017, to ease business transactions in the continent.
Speaking here on Tuesday, the President of African Organization for Standardization (ARSO), Dr Joseph Ikemefuna Odumodu allayed fears that the proposed Free Trading Zone for Africa may be obliterated by the already existing Regional Trading Blocs.
“We still need the subregional trading areas, because they are going to act as platforms from which we can create a continental body that will help to harmonize trade and free movement of people across Africa,” he said.
The ARSO president maintained that the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), Common Market for East and Southern Africa African Community (EAC), will continue to exist alongside the new African Free Trade Area (FTA).
Tanzania is hosting the 47th ARSO Council Meeting in Arusha that intends to discuss, among other things, harmonization of standards among the 54 countries forming the world’s second largest continent, but one which is highly divided by non-tariff trade barriers, restricted movements of people, goods and conflicting standards.
The ARSO Secretary General, Dr Hermogene Nsengimana explained during the meeting that it was disappointing to see Africa’s intra trade still being below 10 per cent and in most cases due to non-tariff barriers.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Mrs Joyce Mapunjo who was represented by the Acting Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS) for Arusha, Mr Exaud Mwanga in opening the meeting, said that Tanzania was already leading the way in facilitating intra-trade on the continent.
“Being a member of SADC and the EAC and given that Tanzania is an important gateway for neighbouring countries such as Malawi, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country has played a key role in standards development, harmonization and implementation of quality infrastructure,” she said.
The Acting Director General of Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), Mr Leandri Kinabo explained that so far, 800 standards have been harmonized in Africa with Tanzania being active member on issues of standardization.
“We participate in subregional standardization activities in the East African Standards Committee, as well as SADC Standards Committee of which Tanzania is the current chair,” said Mr Kinabo.
“The Arusha meeting which is being attended by 14 states, is a testimony of African countries’ commitment and support on the initiatives to promote standardization activities in Africa, as well as harmonizing them to facilitate trade among African countries, as well as promoting social, industrial and economic development,” Kinabo maintained.
The delegates have agreed that once all standards in Africa have been harmonized, it will be easy to control counterfeit goods, control various types of imported goods and add value to the continent’s exports overseas.
