Kandie drums support for draft policy on trade

By MARGARET KANINI

NAIROBI: Kenyans are still a long way off from enjoying the benefits of an integrated East African region if the prevailing challenges facing the bloc are anything to go by.

During a briefing on Kenya’s regional integration strategy that was attended by cabinet and permanent secretaries from different ministries yesterday in Nairobi, it emerged that terrorism, prevalence of non–tariff barriers, poor infrastructure, piracy, unemployment and lack of coherence in trade policies in the region are still weighing down the region’s integration process.

“If we are to realise prosperity in our regional integration efforts, we must resolve these challenges, which demands coherence,” explained Phyllis Kandie, the cabinet secretary in the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism.

The  Government’s draft  Strategy Policy on East African trade that was prepared two years ago cuts across the economic, social, cultural and political pillars of development, while trying to tackle issues like trade liberalisation, financial integration, free movement of human resource and political integration.

Trade liberalisation, according to Kandie would promote intra-regional trade through compatible trade facilitation and dispute resolution mechanisms.

In the case of harmonisation of monetary and financial aspects, the new policy is expected strengthen growth of capital markets to ensure availability of affordable credit for private sector investment.

In the document, Kenya’s strategic interests are aimed at expanding its commercial horizons and leveraging on the existence of large foreign agencies that are headquartered in Nairobi.

Kandie said that lack of international networks make it very difficult to obtain intelligence on foreign markets.