Government starts to implement World Trade Organisation trade facilitation rules

By Lydiah Nyawira

The Government has started the process of implementing a series of international trade facilitation agreements, so far signed by the country.

At the Ninth Ministerial Conference held in Bali, Indonesia, from December 3 to 7, 2013, ministers adopted the Bali Package, a series of decisions aimed at streamlining trade, allowing developing countries more options for providing food security, boosting least-developed countries’ trade and helping development more generally.

They also adopted a number of more routine decisions and accepted Yemen as a new member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The Ministry of Trade has set up a meeting in Nyeri to discuss the implementation road map.

This comes at a time when Kenya has automated its Customs Department through an electronic cargo clearance system, established a one-stop border post and automated the cargo-tracking and single-window systems. At the meeting, Kenya is expected to identify her trade facilitation needs and priorities, which will be used in the implementation of the trade agreements.

National plan

An earlier four-day seminar on the WTO trade facilitation agreement and national implementation plan had been attended by Trade Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho and Government officials from various ministries who were briefed on the implementation requirements of the agreement.

Representatives from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) and Kenya Revenue Authority customs officers also attended the seminar, which was held at a Nyeri hotel.

In a speech read on his behalf, by Ambassador Nelson Ndirangu, Kibicho said the workshop was meant to develop an action and implementation plan for WTO trade facilitation agreement.