The App is part of broader efforts supported by UN Trade and Development to help African countries navigate non-tariff measures and bolster intra-regional commerce.

Nicholaus Noah, a Tanzanian entrepreneur, has been exporting sisal fibre to Ghana for years.

When the National Investment Bank of Ghana -- a state-owned financial institution that foreign traders are obliged to go through -- introduced new policies in early 2024, Mr Noah grew concerned about the potential weight of such non-tariff barriers on small cross-border traders like him.

These barriers can be restrictive regulations and procedures, other than tariffs, and make it more difficult and expensive to trade internationally.

In Mr Noah’s case, the changes would have extended his reception of customer down payments from three days to 21, along with additional costs to courier documents from Tanzania to Ghana.

Mr Noah had heard about the online reporting, monitoring and eliminating mechanism which tackles non-tariff barriers within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In just a few minutes, he filed a complaint online and set off the resolution process.

National focal points of Tanzania and Ghana were immediately informed by the online mechanism. Experts from the AfCFTA Secretariat and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) engaged with the parties to work out a solution.

As a result, the National Investment Bank of Ghana reversed its policy change. Mr Noah confirms: “I’m now doing my sisal business smoothly with my Ghanaian customers.”

Reducing non-tariff barriers, bolstering intra-regional trade

Latest analysis by UN Trade and Development estimates that addressing non-tariff barriers and other trade-related regulations could boost Africa’s economy by $7.1 billion.

The online mechanism that helped Mr Noah is an official instrument of the AfCFTA Agreement, bringing together 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of over $3 trillion.

UN Trade and Development has assisted to develop the AfCFTA non-tariff barriers mechanism website, train national focal points and raise awareness among the private sector.

The mechanism is open to all African traders, including small businesses, women and youth entrepreneurs.

New mobile App available

Advancing the online mechanism, the AfCFTA Secretariat and UN Trade and Development have collaboratively created a smartphone App compatible with both Android and iOS mobile operating systems.

Users can report non-tariff trade obstacles on the go and quickly upload supporting documentation from their phone camera.

The App is set to for launch at a high-level session of the AfCFTA Business Forum, the Biashara Afrika 2024, slated for 9 to 11 October in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, under the patronage of President Paul Kagame.