The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is poised to boost intra-Africa trade. One of the key challenges in achieving this mandate is Non-Tariff Barriers. To resolve this important issue, the AfCFTA Secretariat has produced the Non-Tariff Barriers (NTB) Online Reporting, Monitoring, and Elimination Mechanism which is an excellent tool for reporting unnecessary obstacles when trading goods across intra-African borders.
This web-based tool, available to micro, small, medium and large companies, informal traders, women and youth business operators, enables the private sector and traders to report any challenges encountered when trading goods across intra-African borders. Whether it's excessive delays, ad hoc fees at the border, cumbersome document requirements, or restrictive product standards and regulations, the AfCFTA NTB Online Mechanism empowers you to take action.
To ensure that this mechanism is utilized to its fullest potential, the AfCFTA Secretariat recently convened an Awareness Raising Workshop on the AfCFTA Online Mechanism for identification and reporting of Non-Tariff Barriers for the Economic Community for Central African States (ECCAS) State Parties. The workshop was attended by representatives from ECCAS countries, the NTB Focal Points, and representatives of the private sector.
The main objective of the workshop was to assist State Parties with targeted comprehensive outreach, visibility, and communication of the AfCFTA NTB Online Mechanism to enhance its uptake, usage, and stakeholder understanding of its benefits to the private sector. The main expected outputs of the AfCFTA NTB Awareness Raising Campaigns are enhanced visibility of the AfCFTA NTB Online Mechanism, triggering acceptance by stakeholders in these State Parties, and legitimate NTBs reported on the AfCFTA NTB Online Mechanism.
The NTB Online Mechanism is available at https://lnkd.in/eGrUV_8J. Let's work together to enhance trade and remove non-tariff barriers to trade in Africa.
