Africa-Press – Eritrea. Dar es Salaam.
By the end of the current financial year, June 30, 2022, electronic commerce will be part and parcel of the National Trade Policy (NTP), according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Industry and Trade deputy minister Exaud Kigahe said recently that the government was reviewing the existing NTP in order to take on-board new developments such as the digital business that has grown massively over the past few decade.
“We want the policy to reflect the present business environment characterised with increased technological innovations. During the review process, we will also involve stakeholders from both the private and public sectors,” he told The Citizen recently in the city.
In the new policy, he said the government would include strategies, regulations, and laws that will govern electronic trade in the country.
Mr Kigahe said “It will also address issues of security and fraudulent practices which are very prevalent online. So, this is a very significant policy and it’s an extensive process. But, we project to finalise the job by the end of this fiscal year.”
According to the Tanzania National Trade Policy (2003), the objective is to facilitate smooth integration into the Multilateral Trading System (MTS) and roll back the gradual descent towards marginalisation.
The document, which is available at the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s website, states that for the policy to offer meaningful, identifiable and measurable efficacy, it largely depends on the establishment of a specific macro-economic, social and political environment.
Hence, “When fundamental changes occur in the underlying environment, the configuration of policy strategies also has to change,” the document reads in part.
Recently, business individuals who have their base on digital platforms have been raising concerns that they have yet to be identified legally due to the lack of specific digital trade laws.
Tanzanian entrepreneur Sunday Ndunguru, who operates under his online platform JiraniLeo, connecting people for organized local group meals, shared his experience over the matter with The Citizen saying it has been difficult to formalise his digital business.
He said one of the conditions required to be in business is to have a licence for operations. But, he said it was difficult to get “because the government did not have this kind of business in its portfolio and, therefore, could not issue a licence for that business line.”
He added, “I was very discouraged when I learnt this, especially as I have been growing slowly in the past two years, and invested time and money into the business. What if one day the government decides it cannot accommodate my line of business, what happens to the investment,” he cautiously observed.
When asked, the regulatory body – the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) – told The Citizen that in terms of digital trade, the country has only formulated regulations for the online transactions.
The head of enforcement and compliance at TCRA, Dr Philip Filikunjombe, said “We understand that there exists a gap there, and that is for the Ministry of Industry and Trade to address, as for our part, we are fully obliged to regulate.”
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