The TFA Agreement entered into force on 22 February 2017 when the WTO obtained the two-thirds acceptance of the Agreement from its 164 Members, the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) aims to remove administrative barriers to cross-border trade, such as unnecessary customs controls, excessive data and documents collection, lack of coordination between border agencies and ineffective rules and procedures. All of these obstacles in import, export and transit operations affect considerably the cost of trade, delaying the movement of goods.
These costs are extremely expensive for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) because they often lack the capacity to comply with complex regulations and procedural rules for import, export and transit. The TFA is therefore an important instrument for governments to improve the business climate in which businesses can thrive. Capitalizing on this Agreement will reduce costs, delays and transaction processes for merchants, enabling them to internationalize cheaper and faster. While the implementation of the TFA is the primary responsibility of the governments of the WTO Members, business and trade support institutions nevertheless play a vital role in informing the authorities on how best to implement the Trade Facilitation Agreement in the national context.
KAAA in collaboration with WTO,EABC and ITC organized a two day workshop on the 25th-26th of Feb 2021 where our members in the export sector were educated and trained on the potential benefits and practical use of each of the technical measures of this new Agreement.
By the end of the workshop, it was expected that participating enterprises and organizations will be equipped to successfully take advantage of the TFA and contribute to the design, implementation and monitoring of trade facilitation reforms.
One of our members Mr samwel who attended the workshop had this to say after the two day event.
‘The two day workshop held at Naivasha Resort and hosted by EABC, ITC and WTO partnership has enriched and enhanced my capacity to give my contributions as a representative from private sector to the government in a more structured way to achieve the ultimate goal of having a conducive trade environment.
Learning about the WTO principles and their application is just the oomph that is required for better grasp of how global trade works and operates. Much more I would say, including but not limited to the following; I’ve understood the cross border challenges which impacts trade negatively therefore causing delays and increases product costs, regulatory and non regulatory causes of delays, How to surmount cross border challenges, how trade facilitation can make trade easier, business transparency and WTO articles. Basically I met the objectives of the workshop and would like to thank the partner members for the opportunity and organizing this forum. We shall implement what learnt for the benefit of global business and increased profitability.
