Despite Africa’s rich endowment in natural resources (12 per cent of the world‘s oil reserves, 42 per cent of its gold, 80 per cent of chromium and platinum group of metals, the continent remains poor. Intra African trade is stubbornly low. The cost of doing business in Africa, characterized by lengthy port handling, poor inland transport, cumbersome border procedures, numerous road blocks and many non-tariff barriers, is extremely high compared to other regions of the world. According to statistics contained in the African Economic Outlook 2017 (a flagship report published by the African Development Bank), trade among African countries only slightly expanded from 10 per cent in the year 2000 to about 14 per cent in 2014. It is therefore against this backdrop, that the Commission of the African Union (AU) is organizing the 9th AU Sub-Committee of Directors General of Customs meeting to be held on 16-17 November 2017 in Yaounde, Cameroon. The objectives of this get-together are to carry out an examination of the work done so far by the various Customs Technical Working Groups in addressing the issues in the Trade Facilitation Cluster of the Action Plan on Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT), exchange views and reflect on the way forward. Holding on the theme “The contribution of Customs to the Analysis of International Trade Data, for Security and the Boosting of Intra-African Trade,” the Yaounde meeting will therefore examine ways of turning the tides and reverse the low level of intra continental trade in Africa. The c...
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