Under the framework of the EU-WCO RoO Africa Programme, funded by the European Union, the World Customs Organization (WCO) organised a virtual Workshop on 22-24 April 2025, in partnership with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat. The objective of the Workshop was to provide a platform for building capacities on application of Cumulation of Origin for Members of the COMESA Technical Working Group (TWG) on Rules of Origin. The workshop also focused on reflecting on the eventual possibilities of Cumulation between the COMESA Free Trade Area (FTA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Cumulation provisions are important elements for regional value chain development. They provide economic operators with essential flexibility to expand their input sourcing opportunities without affecting the origin of goods, thereby strengthening economic relations within the FTA. For this reason, Cumulation provisions are powerful engines of regional economic integration.
Considering that the FTAs of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are the building blocks for Africa’s continental-wide integration, the relevance to explore opportunities to extend Cumulation provisions between COMESA FTA (and other RECs) and AfCFTA is pertinent and timely. . The Workshop provided an excellent opportunity not only to clarify the concepts, conditions and modalities of Cumulation of Origin but also to brainstorm on various Cumulation possibilities between the COMESA FTA and the AfCFTA. The ideas generated from the brainstorming sessions are expected to ultimately concretise and positively impact Africa’s economic integration agenda.
The Workshop recognised that such promising opportunities may also give rise to some challenges, which include increased Customs’ documentary requirements to prove compliance with Cumulation provisions, a need for enhanced Customs controls to mitigate against non-compliance risk, increased possibilities for origin disputes, and possible economic welfare impacts related to the trade diversion effects.
Ambassador Dr. Mohamed Kadah, Assistant Secretary-General (Programmes) of the COMESA Secretariat, officially opened the Workshop on behalf of the Secretary-General. He reiterated COMESA’s unwavering commitment to Africa’s economic integration, which is evidenced by its active involvement in establishing both the COMESA-SADC-EAC Tripartite FTA and the AfCFTA.
Following a constructive exchange between the AfCFTA, WCO and COMESA experts, the participants agreed that there were various possibilities of Cumulation of Origin between COMESA FTA and AfCFTA, while acknowledging the need for legal and administrative instruments and frameworks to take full advantage of this cumulation perspective.. One of the main outcomes of this workshop, was the prospect of the establishment of a technical team that shall explore the possible options of Origin Cumulation to facilitate the desired Cumulation of Origin between the COMESA FTA and the AfCFTA.
In attendance were experts from Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, DR Congo, Eswatini, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, as well as representatives from the COMESA Secretariat, WCO Secretariat and AfCFTA Secretariat.
For further information please contact EU-WCORoOAfrica.Program@wcoomd.org