Rwandan and Tanzanian private sector bodies on Monday reiterated their commitment to collaborate in advocating for elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) between the two countries, the New Times reports.
Representatives from Tanzania’s Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) met their counterparts in Kigali to discuss ways of identifying policy and regulatory restrictions that undermine free movement of goods between the two nations.
Restrictions that result from prohibitions, conditions, or specific market requirements that make importation or exportation of products difficult and or costly continue to trouble business people from both countries and, this was high on agenda of a one-day peer to peer meeting held in Kigali.
The meeting between the two nations hopes to increase private sector engagement in the bilateral framework and deal with issues pertinent to doing business, the report said.
Participants expressed the hurdles they faced; Tanzanian companies operating in Rwanda are for instance required to pay $200 deposit by the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) at the border.
Other challenges expressed by the Tanzanian investors were in registration and obtaining related licences.
On the other hand, Rwandan investors in Tanzania had to deal with the issues of work permits for both the clearing and forwarding agents.
Clearing and forwarding agents from Rwanda are not allowed to access the port premises without work permits.
They also complained of theft of minerals from the Rwanda at the Dar es Salaam port, and Fuso truck drivers being denied entrance to Tanzania to buy products such as rice, bananas, dried cassava, and beans.
Participants from both ends agreed to work persistently to push policy makers in their respective capitals to find solutions to the problems identified.
The two nations expect to unlock the existing and future trade potentials between them.
Rwanda and Tanzania recently launched a new Rusumo International bridge and a One-Stop-Border Post.
