Honorable Peace Khalayi the Woman Member of Parliament Namisindwa district, has called for decisive action to remove border bottlenecks and deepen East African Community (EAC) integration.
Hon. Khalayi Peace, Woman MP Namisindwa District, has called on EAC partner states to eliminate domestic administrative bottlenecks that continue to delay the movement of goods, increase the cost of doing business, and undermine regional competitiveness.
She said this will be critical to achieve the Community target of increasing intra-EAC trade to a higher percentage by 2040.
This was addressed during a one-week leadership and governance training and benchmarking visit in Arusha, Tanzania.
"Partner states must eliminate domestic administration bottlenecks that delay movement of goods, increase the cost of doing business and undermine regional competitiveness," Hon. Khalayi said.
She noted that if these bottlenecks are not removed, they will continue to frustrate small-scale traders, especially women and youths who depend on cross-border trade for survival.
Hon.Khalayi also observed that Busia, one of the Community's busiest border crossings which serves over 10,000 vehicles per day, attracting thousands of traders, transporters and service providers every day, is highly congested.
She said the congestion at Busia continues to delay movement of goods, increase the cost of doing business, and undermine regional competitiveness.
To ease pressure and boost regional trade, Hon. Khalayi advocated for the EAC states to fully launch Lwakhakha border crossing to Kenya in Namisindwa District.
She said Lwakhakha border should be elevated to operate as a major One Stop Border Post.
"Lwakhakha border should also be launched and fully operationalized to boost trade and work as a catalyst for job creation," Hon. Khalayi said.
The legislator noted that once operationalized, Lwakhakha will decongest Busia and Malaba, create jobs for youths and women, and increase intra-EAC trade in line with the Community's target by 2040.
The legislator urged EAC leaders to harmonize policies and commit to practical implementation of integration protocols.
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