Improving the Border Agency Cooperation
Among the OIC Member States for Facilitating Trade
83
Harmonisation of import regulations of food and agricultural products
With the help of the the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
supported Competitiveness and Trade Expansion (COMPETE) program, extensive
consultations took place between the EAC, national level bureaus of standards and the private
sector to harmonise standards for 22 staple foods. A platform was created for establishing a
common language for assessing quality and grade of foods to stimulate inter-regional trade.
COMPETE worked towards building networks of national implementing partners to promote
the adoption of the EAC’s Harmonized Staple Foods Quality Standards at national level in
Uganda. The progress of drafting and implementing regional standards is being followed up
closely and action is taken where gaps remain.144
Efforts will continue to collaborate with USAID in Uganda to identify and build partnerships
with such organisations. COMPETE is working with the Centre of Phytosanitary Excellence
(COPE) and the East African Phytosanitary Information Committee (EAPIC) to create regional
pest lists for select staple commodities to help streamline and shorten the SPS inspection
process at borders.
EAC Simplified Certificate of Origin
The EAC Simplified Certificate of Origin (SCO) is a customs document that is used to clear
goods, duty free, that have been grown or made in neighbouring partner states and whose
commercial value is not more than 2,000 USD. COMPETE provided technical guidance to the
EAC on raising the threshold of the SCO from 500 USD to 2,000 USD. COMPETE supports SCO’s
waiver of duties as a way to reduce the price of goods in the region and to support small cross-
border traders to clear their goods formally. SCO will lead to more accurate formal trade
statistics and ease of trade across borders.145
Trade Helpdesks / Information Desks
In collaboration with the EAC, COMPETE developed the EAC Trade Helpdesk, a web-based tool
that allows users to query EAC trade statistics (imports and exports) by country of origin and
destination as well as applicable tariff and trade regulatory requirements (such as rules of
origin and non-tariff requirements). Data from 2004 to present is available and is updated
monthly and annually based on submissions from EAC partner states. COMPETE continues to
work with the EAC to improve data quality. 146
The Ugandan government has also established a number of Trade Information Desks at
Malaba, Busia, Katuna, Elegu and Mutukula, among other things to facilitate clearance of goods
for small scale traders through customs. For each of these borders, there are counterpart desks
on the opposing side of the border, and the two parties work hand in hand in processing
exports and imports. The desks record the NTBs encountered by small scale traders, and they
are also a great source of market information.147
144 EAC Secretariat (2016ª, 2016b)
145 USAID/COMPETE, 2013
146 USAID/COMPETE, 2013
147 Ministry of Trade, Expert interview, 2016