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Republic of Namibia

Ministry of International Relations & Trade

Namibia Trade Information Portal

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Online Mechanism for Addressing NTBs

Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) generally include laws, regulations and administrative and technical requirements (other than tariffs) imposed by a Partner State, whose effect is to impede trade. They have been categorised into technical and non-technical barriers to trade. Technical measures include unjustified sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), pre-shipment inspection and other formalities. On the other hand, non-technical measures include contingent trade-protective measures, non-automatic licensing, quotas, prohibitions and quantity-control, measures other than SPSs or TBTs, price control measures, finance measures, measures affecting competition, and trade-related investment measures

Elimination of NTBs reduces the costs of trading across borders, ease cross-border movement of goods and boosts regional trade flows. Accordingly all regional trade agreements that Namibia is part to (SAC, SADC, TFTA, AfCFTA, EU-SADC EPA, WTO, etc) have undertaken commitments to eliminate NTBs and developed online mechanisms for addressing NTBs. 

Below are two main online mechanisms that traders can use to report, monitor and eliminate NTBs they face in cross border trade in Africa.

  1. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)’s Non-Tariff Barriers online reporting, monitoring and eliminating mechanism is a facility developed for reporting any obstacle encountered when trading goods across intra-African borders, for example excessive delays, ad hoc fees at the border, cumbersome document requirements, restrictive product standards and regulations etc. To find out more visit www.tradebarriers.africa
  2. The COMESA, EAC and SADC  Tripartite Free Trade agreement is implementing an Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) reporting, monitoring and eliminating mechanism which incorporates concrete timelines for the removal of NTBs. The mechanism is available online at tradebarriers.org.  In addition to enhanced transparency, Tradebarriers.org also provides a web-based reporting and monitoring system that enables interested parties to cooperate in identifying barriers to trade in Africa, and to contribute to their elimination, improving a beneficial or positive trade environment for everyone.