Kenya: +300 Delegates Convene for Borderless Trade Discussion
Delegates during the meeting in Nairobi Kenya, Oct 8, 2024 Photo: @wcoesarocb
October 8, 2024 Hour: 8:31 pm
Gyang Demitta Chinwude, head of customs administration, cooperation, trade facilitation, and transit at the African Continental Free Trade Area, said that Africa stands at the crossroads of great opportunities.
More than 300 delegates drawn from Africa’s tax revenue institutions, United Nations agencies, and Africa’s regional economic blocs are meeting in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on Monday to discuss ways to promote borderless trade in the continent.
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The three-day Africa Customs and Trade Conference themed “Borderless Trade: Effective Trade Facilitation in the Digital Age” brought together participants to review ways of leveraging technology to boost trade facilitation on the continent.
Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi said that border and customs administrators must proactively adopt technology-driven solutions and systems that facilitate trade as well as improve domestic resource mobilization.
“Innovation from digital taxation platforms that simplify compliance are necessary in order to enhance transparency in trade logistics and enable efficient trade management,” Mudavadi said.
Gyang Demitta Chinwude, head of customs administration, cooperation, trade facilitation, and transit at the African Continental Free Trade Area, said that Africa stands at the crossroads of great opportunities as the digital revolution offers tools and solutions that can propel economies to new heights by easing the way trade is conducted.
Chinwude added that for a borderless trade environment, Africa needs digital infrastructure which requires investment in internet connectivity, digital platforms, and secure communication systems across borders.
Brendah Phiri-Mundia, principal regional advisor at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said the continent can significantly enhance intra-Africa trade by automating international trade documents that will reduce clearance times, eliminate duplicative procedures and help goods move seamlessly from one country to another.
Lilian Nyawanda, commissioner for customs and border control at the Kenya Revenue Authority, said that a single customs territory will be one of the continent’s most significant innovations to support borderless trade.
Flavia Busingye, acting director of customs and trade at the East African Community, said that the economic bloc has laid the foundation for such seamless trade through the development of a robust legal and institutional framework that supports the facilitation of borderless trade among the partner states.
Busingye added that instruments like the customs union and common market protocols allow free movement of goods, services, labor, and capital across the region.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: DW-Africanews
