Trade and Customs experts from COMESA Member States begun meeting in Lusaka ahead of the Policy Organs meeting scheduled for December this year. This is the 31st Trade and Customs Committee meeting and will take four days discussing progress reports on the implementation of trade and Customs programmes.

During the opening of the meeting, Assistant Secretary General in charge of Programmes Dr Kipyego Cheluget told the delegates that the growth of intra-COMESA trade has been suppressed by the existence of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs). 

He said the level of trade among COMESA Member States would have been higher than reported if it was not for the still prevalent occurrence of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs).

“It is not only their occurrence which is a source of worry, but also their persistence,” Dr Cheluget lamented. “You will be shocked that some of the NTBs have been in existence for more than ten years. Some of the NTBs have been around for too long and have negatively affected trade.”

Latest provisional figures show that intra-COMESA exports increased by 2% from US$9.9 billion in 2013 to US$10.1 billion in 2014. On the other hand, intra-COMESA imports dropped by 4% from US$11 billion in 2013 to US$10.6 billion in 2014.

However, Dr Cheluget noted that intra-COMESA trade was higher than what is recorded but due to the substantial level of trade conducted by the small scale cross-border traders it was a challenge to capture all the trade that takes place.

He urged member States to honour their obligations under the Free Trade arrangement and refrain from arbitrary re-imposition of duties.

Acting Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry of Zambia Ms Cathy Mukala commended COMESA for pioneering the setting up of institutions and in the development of instruments critical to regional integration.

She cited the Yellow Card, the COMESA Customs Document, the Harmonised Road Transit Charges, the COMESA Fund and the regional Customs Transit Guarantee as some of the trailblazing trade facilitation tools in the region.

Ms. Mukala urged the trade experts to generate recommendations which can be submitted to higher policy organs for guidance and decision as a way for further forging regional integration.

Among the issues to be covered in the four days meeting include progress on the Simplified Trade Regime (STR) with regard to D R Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia; the functioning of the Free Trade Area as well as progress towards a Customs Union and Common Market.

Other topics in the programme are Regional Payment and Settlement System (REPSS), update on the tripartite Free Trade Area, the Regional Customs Transit Guarantee (RCTG) and the performance of the sugar safeguards granted to Kenya by the COMESA Council of Ministers in March this year.