Uganda has developed an information exchange system that will allow East Africans to report non-tariff barriers (NTBs) via SMS.
Sam Watasa, lead adviser on Uganda’s national response strategy for the elimination of NTBs, said the system set up at a cost of USD 100,000 equaling to Shs 250,000,000/= will provide a clear record of NTBs and help the country assess progress in eliminating them.
Previously, Uganda recorded NTBs manually on paper at border points, which partly explains why the country has the highest number in the region, according to the latest EAC report on the elimination of NTBs. Under the new system, a person experiencing a barrier sends a SMS to code 201.