Uganda Pushes To Remove Barriers To Digital Trade Across Africa

What the report says

Uganda is urging African countries to align digital trade rules in an effort to make cross-border commerce easier for local businesses. According to Nile Post, Trade Minister Sanjay Tanna said the country wants to help shape the policies and systems that will govern Africa’s digital economy, with the aim of reducing friction in online payments, customs processing and delivery across borders.

The remarks were made ahead of the Africa Technology and Intellectual Property Symposium scheduled for October 22–23 in Kampala. Tanna said digital trade could help cooperatives, manufacturers and creative entrepreneurs reach customers beyond Uganda, but only if regulations are predictable and support systems are reliable. The government links the effort to its broader development goals, including its Tenfold Growth Strategy and plans to expand value addition and export market access.

Private sector voices at a press conference in Kampala also pressed for closer cooperation with government. Kenneth Muhangi, a co-convenor of the symposium, said small firms using social media and messaging platforms to sell products often face problems when serving customers in other countries, including payment arrangements, customs requirements, delivery costs and uncertainty over which rules apply when disputes arise.

The article places the push in the wider context of the East African Community and the African Continental Free Trade Area, both of which seek to ease regional trade. It also points to Uganda’s Electronic Single Window as an example of trade facilitation, with Muhangi citing reported savings from reduced clearance times and paperless transactions.