EAC meetings set stage for war on counterfeit goods

The East African Community will start country meetings this week to review quality standards for goods entering the trading bloc.

This is expected to set the stage for a concerted war on counterfeits that costs the bloc’s economy billions of shillings in lost revenues each year.

The EAC director of Trade, Flora Musonda, said the review would start on Friday and be concluded by mid February after consultative visits to all the five member countries.

Dr Musonda said the EAC secretariat has compiled proposals for the revision or confirmation of existing standards and withdrawal of outdated one.

The market bloc has also developed 2,500 new standards, which cover products traded in the region for consideration by member countries and later handed the bloc’s standards committee for action by June.

The review will include visits to offices of national standards institutions, weights and measures agencies as well as other related bodies. It will also collect views from the public.

“Those with views and contributions are encouraged to forward them to the CEOs of the national quality institutions,” Dr Musonda said.

A schedule released by the EAC secretariat showed that the review would begin with a four-day meeting in Kampala from Friday followed by two others in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi in the first week of February. Bujumbura and Kigali will hold similar meetings in the second week of February.

The review is being conducted in line with the international best practice, which requires the standards to be revised every five years.

The ongoing knock-down of administrative barriers along the borders of EAC member states has sparked a fresh rally of trade in illegal goods that is costing manufacturers billions of shillings in market share and causing heavy revenue losses to governments.

The East Africa Business Council, a regional lobby, says growth in illegal commerce is being driven by foreign and local entrepreneurs who are using the relaxed trade regime to replicate well known brand names and designs for sale at cheaper prices.

Dry cell batteries, alcoholic beverages, fruit juices, shoe polish, toothpastes, soaps and detergents, ball point pens, books, electrical and electronic goods are some of the most counterfeited products.

Others are perfumes, clothing, footwear, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, video tapes and CDs. Cigarettes top the list of counterfeit products sold in the Kenyan market threatening the market share of established players such as British American Tobacco.

aodhiambo@ke.nationmedia.com