Hello

Your subscription is almost coming to an end. Don’t miss out on the great content on Nation.Africa

Ready to continue your informative journey with us?

Hello

Your premium access has ended, but the best of Nation.Africa is still within reach. Renew now to unlock exclusive stories and in-depth features.

Reclaim your full access. Click below to renew.

Tariff liberalisation not easy: EAC

Arusha. The East African Community (EAC) admitted yesterday that tariff liberalisation was a challenge to the proposed continental free trade area.

It says a mechanism has to be worked out on how tariffs would be liberalised without affecting the economies of various trading blocs.

“Tariff liberation has not been easy and there has to be a mechanism to negotiate it,” said Mr Kenneth Bagamuhunda, the EAC director general of Customs and Trade.

He was speaking during a meeting on the role the private sector on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) expected to come into force in July this year.

The trade pact was unveiled by the African Union in Kigali, Rwanda, a year ago and is aimed at boosting intra-African trade currently estimated to be a half of its potential.

He said EAC would negotiate on tariff liberalisation within the continental FTA framework “in a holistic way and as a bloc”.

He added that the East African Business Council has been given a platform to spearhead the negotiations on behalf of the bloc.