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{
    "id": 1316277,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1316277/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 229,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tetu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Geoffrey Wandeto",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you for allowing me to also lend my voice and support to this Report about One-Stop Border Posts. From the onset, let me start by commending the team because this is a step in the right direction. I would like to say that intra-Africa trade is very low at only 14 per cent, if African countries were to pull themselves by the boot-straps and out of poverty. Specifically, a country like Kenya must enhance its trade not only with our traditional trade partners in Europe and Asia, but also enhance intra-Africa trade. We have a huge market in our neighbourhood. The DRC needs our milk and we need their mineral resources, timber et cetera . However, Africa has for a long time been used as a source of extractive economy by exporting raw materials and basic commodities which we do not get much value out of. For Africa to develop, we must seriously start thinking about how to enhance our trade barriers. This is a very important step to speed up the movement of goods and people, remove non-tariff barriers and reduce the corruption that has been a big issue as far as intra-Africa trade is concerned. Hon. Temporary Speaker, you will note that moving maize from Malawi to Kenya can end up taking longer than moving machinery from China to Africa through water transport. How can African countries, specifically Kenya, lead dialogue in ensuring that we enhance and work on removing all the barriers? Today, absence of infrastructure, delays, cost and the other factors that we know inhibit trade between African countries weaken trade. Kenya taking a lead on this, is a step in the right direction. We hope to do more. As an economy, how can we open up ourselves, not just for investments from the West and Asia, but from our fellow African countries. When other countries come here to build railways, roads, airports and ports, most of the time, they are not doing it for the benefit of their people. I repeat, as African countries, if we want to pull ourselves out of poverty, we must seriously think how we can develop intra- Africa trade. We need to have our own railways, ports, roads and airports connecting our countries, so that we can enhance intra-Africa trade. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I rise to support the Report because it is a step in the right direction. However, this is one out of the very many steps we need to take if we want to integrate this huge market of 1.2 billion people, most of who are emerging from absolute poverty status to having some income. How can we ensure that we expand this market? I rise to support but the Committee needs to do more . Ahsante sana."
}