Free-Trade: Togo launches Trade Barriers Africa, an online platform to remove non-tariff barriers
Wednesday, 02 February 2022 11:45 
(Togo First) - Togo recently launched Trade Barriers Africa, an online mechanism aimed at boosting trade by removing non-tariff barriers (NTBs) between African countries. The facility is a component of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
"From now on, thanks to Trade Barriers Africa, Togolese traders will be able to report these barriers, also known as non-tariff barriers, and obtain their removal with the support of national authorities," said the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in a statement released January 31, 2022.
The platform allows traders and companies that move goods across Togo’s borders to report NTBs that impede their activity in the country. According to the UN body, such NTBs include, among others, “quotas, excessive import documents or unjustified packaging requirements.”
"Trade Barriers Africa is a concrete response to the daily problems of micro, small and medium-sized cross-border businesses. If they should thrive, it is imperative that non-tariff barriers, which not only lengthen the procedures for transporting goods but also cost traders, disappear," said Simon Ognadou, National Focal Point of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Local Consumption for AfCFTA.
Trade Barriers Africa was developed by UNCTAD and the African Union, and launched in January 2020, to help make trade in Africa easier and cheaper. So far, UNCTAD said, the platform has reportedly helped remove over 600 non-tariff barriers.
