African trade hindered by delays and bottleneck taxes – Iche

African trade hindered by delays and bottleneck taxes – Iche

By Naomi Onome

According to Comr. Prince Saviour Iche, President of the Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (AMEN), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council is responsible for ensuring that commodities are transported across African borders without incident by means of a “must have” trade permit. He talks about the difficulties Nigerian businesspeople encounter when trading with other African nations, citing delays and bottleneck taxes as the main roadblocks.

Iche highlights the difficulties faced by African businesses in trading with each other, including lengthy delays and damage to perishable goods. Calls on African presidents to address these issues and promote free trade within the continent.

However, Iche noted that the intertrade between African countries in recent times is seemingly compared to a difficult task aided by bottleneck taxes and delays. It is said that products coming into Nigeria from other African countries and vice versa have no smooth access to the Nigerian market due to delays caused by the authorities leading to compounded delays within the African countries compared to goods coming in from countries like China, Japan, the USA, the UK and other European countries, which take a shorter period of time to reach their destination than goods coming in and out of African countries.

As an entrepreneur who exports goods to other African countries, Iche further said,

“A product being conveyed from Nigeria to Ivory Coast, Ghana, Gambia, and Cameroon, to mention a few, takes a longer period of time to reach its destination than goods coming in from China to African countries, Nigeria included.”

“Businessmen in Nigeria and other African countries lament that Africans find trading with one another to be so exhausting that it is like trying to fit a needle through a camel’s eye.”

“Goods from other African nations find it difficult to enter our market, just as Nigerian goods find it difficult to sell to other African nations. The presidents, ministries, ambassadors, and those in charge of trade affairs ought to eliminate the obstacles preventing seamless trade between African nations.”

“An agreement has been made to facilitate economic dealings within the African shores; nevertheless, the issue is that the government creates regulations without carrying them out. Businessmen and women are dying of hypertension as a result of the delays in getting their goods to their destination, which can result in losses of millions or billions of naira, particularly if the goods are perishable.”

“Businesses are closing, and the unemployment rate is rising daily, as people will lose their jobs if business owners (traders) are unable to transport their goods to neighbouring countries for trade to take place after the workers must have manufactured and assembled for conveyance.”

“Some of these products get ruined when they take a long time to arrive at their destination (other African countries), despite instructions that often say they should be kept in a cool, dry environment.”

“African presidents, please speak with your ministers of trade and embassies and allow free movement when conducting business with other African nations. I’m referring to necessities, not illegal goods.”

“What is the role of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council? Apart from the fact that the government have purposefully chosen not to make things easier for Nigerian businessmen and women, it appears to the public that you do not comprehend the purpose of your position.”

“If we are enemies to ourselves, how can we build our nation and create jobs? A trade document signatory may decide to abstain from their seat for a two-week period, which could delay the delivery of products and increase the risk of damage before they reach their destination.”

“The only way for us to gain from bilateral economic relationships is for Africans to unite. African companies are suffering because of the export problem; thus, the Nigeria Export Promotion Council, the Minister of Trade and Investment, African Trade Union, SMEDAN, and MANN should all take steps to address it, meet with other African trade ministries, and ensure that it is fixed. Moreover, bottleneck taxes are killing small firms as well and should be looked into. This message is an urgent call to action.”