Kenya and Tanzania signed on September 25 a bilateral agreement aimed at easing trade restrictions between the two countries, following up to the indications given by Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu during previous meetings.
Permanent Secretary of Tanzania’s Ministry of Finance and Planning, Doto James, and Kenyan Ambassador Johnson Weru met in Mombasa for a three-day bilateral meeting, at the end of which the two countries signed a bilateral agreement introducing a single customs entry for trade development.
It was also agreed that both countries will expedite the approval of work permits for skilled professionals wishing to work in Kenya or Tanzania, while other facilitations will ease trade in the agriculture and transportation sectors.
Eighteen of the 30 issues brought to the attention of the delegates remain outstanding, mainly in administrative terms, although the parties have agreed to identify concrete solutions by next December.
