Sensitization workshop on the Revised 2016 Public Procurement Regulations and the EAC simplified cross-border trade Information Packs

Dar es Salaam (ILO News) The ILO in collaboration with the PMO-MLPYED organized a national sensitization workshop on the revised public procurement regulations and EAC cross border trade information packages for women entrepreneurs in Tanzania. The workshop which was held on 12 July 2017 and attended by about 30 participants was aimed at enabling the women entrepreneurs to:

• Learn about the guiding principles and the most important aspects/ practical details of the regulations and the information packs;
• Share experiences and lessons learned from associations and women entrepreneurs having done cross-border trading before the information packs were available;
• Reflect and develop potential action plans on how the Women Entrepreneurs' Associations (WEAs) plan to make members benefit from the regulations and the information packs and procurement act opportunities;
• Network and connect with key stakeholders for cross-border trading by women entrepreneurs.

Officiating at the event, the Director for ILO Country Office, Dar es Salaam, Dr. Mary Kawar emphasized on the importance of the above tools to the entrepreneurs and urged them to make the best use of tools in growing their businesses and accessing higher level opportunities. “... I urge you to seize the opportunity to strengthen the potential of your cross border trade activities through the simplified information pack launched by the EAC Secretariat early this year…” she added.

Lack of information is one of the barriers impeding trade across the East Africa subregion is lack of information. Traders struggle to find information regarding the goods and services allowed for trade in each Partner State, the standards and authorization certifications required, the taxes and tariffs expected, the import and export laws, the trade processes and controls, the rules of origin and the customs procedures among others. The problem is even more acute among women entrepreneurs as communication channels and means have not necessarily been developed along their needs.

The ILO through the Irish Aid funded Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment (WEDEE) Project (2013 – 2015) in partnership with the EAC developed comprehensive information packs containing updated and relevant information on the existing policies, procedures, requirements, rules of origin, taxes, tariffs, exemptions and facilities for use by the EAC cross border women entrepreneurs.

Dr. Kawar pointed out that, specifically the packs cover five main areas, namely, EAC rules for trade in unprocessed produce, rules for trade in manufactured goods, rules for trade in services, regulations on free movement of persons and regulations on free movement of labour.

The ILO further supported the review of the country’s 2002 SME Development Policy and provided advocacy training to Women Entrepreneurs' Associations (WEAs) to enable them contribute to the review of the 2011 Procurement Act and formulation of regulations for the amended Act which was adopted by the Parliament in June 2016.

The Amendments were aimed at addressing the problems associated with the implementation of the Act. Selection of procurement methods for the benefit of achieving certain social objectives was taken into consideration for special groups including women, youth, elderly and persons with disabilities (Section 21).

Commenting on the above tools, Dr. Kawar said,

“…These are important tools for providing job opportunities and better income to many women and men…they will enable you and your associations to effectively contribute to the economic growth of the country…”

As a result of the above amendments, for example, local government authorities are required to allocate 30 per cent of their tenders to special groups in their communities including women, youth and people with disabilities. It is expected to speed track procurement of goods for special groups taking into consideration their special needs.

Articles 121 and 122 of the Treaty Establishing the East African Community recognizes the role of Women in Socio-Economic Development and in Business. Based on this Treaty provision, EAC Partner States are therefore committed to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment through linking women to national and regional markets and improving their access to relevant and customized information on EAC and/or national market opportunities.