Kenya urged to access Sudanese market

BY: Apollo Opondo

NAIROBI, Oct 12, 2004 (KBC) — The Kenya Association of Manufacturers wants the government to push for easier access of Kenya goods into the Sudan market.

The manufacturers say entry into the Sudanese market is still restricted by numerous non-tariff barriers.

Despite Sudan being a member of COMESA, Kenya’s exports to the country still undergo stringent certification checks.

Besides this exporters are forced to fill produce pre-shipment before accessing the market.

Sudan has been locked in numerous trade disputes with Kenya the latest being restriction of Kenya’s tea imports and Firestone tyres.

The Sudanese still view Kenya as a transit state for manufactured goods an issue which has led to an increase in complaints from the Kenyan side.

The Kenyan Export Promotion Council however says what has hindered the access of Kenyan goods is their lack of compliance to the Sudanese specifications.

The EPC said forging closer links between the Kenya Bureau of Standards and its Sudanese counterpart will remove some of the hurdles the manufacturers have been facing.