The East African Business Council (EABC) has teamed up with AGRA for a new initiative called “Enhancing Intra-EAC Agri-Food Cross-Border Trade by Tackling Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) to Trade.”

This partnership aims to increase the participation of women and youth led food traders and to increase the volume of food trades specifically maize, rice, beans, soybeans, and horticulture across East Africa.

This 3-year project will help 2440 youth and women-led cross-border traders in the region by addressing Non Tariff Barriers in order to cut down the costs and time required for exporting agri-food products, this project will enhance youth-led agri-food traders’ knowledge about trade facilitation tools like Simplified Trade Regime and trade portals and creation of digital trade information kiosks at the borders. It is supported by a grant of US 399,900 dollars from AGRA funded by the Mastercard foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and will be implemented with the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture EABC is the lead implementer of the project.

The project aims to faccilitate public-private discussions at border locations to identify and address emerging trade barriers, including non-tariff barriers, impacting agri-food trade. An annual evaluation will be carried out to create an EAC Non-Tariff Barrier Index (NTBI) to track advancements in this area.

The collaboration between AGRA and the East African Business Council aims to enhance food security, increase job opportunities for youth and women, and raise farmers’ incomes across designated East African trade corridors. The specific corridors targeted for this initiative include Taveta/Holili, Malaba, Busia/Elegu, Serari, Kibirizi/Kigoma, Mutukula/Kagera, and Tunduma/Mbeya.

The project is hoped to increase cross-border traders’ associations, women and youths in agri-food traders understanding on reporting and campaigning for eradication of Non Tarrif Baeriers and market information through capacity building and media.

The Respective Governments will also contribute to the project’s success by participating in public-private dialogue and implementing the case studies and EAC Agri-Food Trade NTBs Index findings through reforms that are essential in enhancing the business environment for young women and men in cross border trade.