Tanzania lags behind in capturing the East African Common Market because it relies more on exporting to markets outside EAC.

The Executive Director of Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA), Mr Daniel Machemba

The President of Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA), Eng. Alois Mwamanga, made the revelation during a workshop to discuss ways of improving trade flows within the East African Community. “Tanzania does not fully utilize the EAC market as other partner States within the region…and this is dangerous for economic growth,” he said.

He called upon the government, politicians and businesspeople in the country to work with other EAC partner States to improve the local markets.

The TCCIA Executive Director, Mr Daniel Machemba, said that figures by International Trade Centre shows that Uganda is benefiting more from the EAC common market arrangement compared to Tanzania and other EAC countries. According to Mr Machemba, imports from Uganda grew by 42 per cent from 2007 to 2011 while Tanzania exports to Uganda grew by only 3 per cent.

He said Ugandan exports to the world in 2007 to 2011 grew by 7 per cent compared to Tanzania’s 20 per cent. He said Tanzanian business people are hesitant to work with EAC member States due to rampant Non Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and lack of awareness. “Despite that, businesspeople are very slow in responding to the change of policies in the region,” he said appealing to the governments to fight the existing barriers.

By ANNE ROBI, Tanzania Daily News

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