Under the framework of the EU-WCO Origin Africa Programme funded by the European Union (EU), the World Customs Organization (WCO), in partnership with Egypt Customs, held a workshop in Cairo, Egypt, from 12 to 14 December 2022 to support the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative. The workshop brought together 50 participants from Customs and private sector from the eight countries involved in the initiative, namely Cameroon, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania and Tunisia as well as representatives of the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and WCO-JICA Origin Master Trainer Programme.

The objective of this workshop was to ensure a correct understanding of the implementation and application of the AfCFTA rules of origin, which will lead to enhanced intra-African trade, development of regional and continental value chains, sustainable economic development, and an increase in investments. The workshop addressed key AfCFTA origin features, including origin determination, origin certification and other procedural aspects, based on actual cases from the participating private sector representatives. The AfCFTA secretariat presented the state of play of the implementation of the agreement and process of negotiation on RoO and demonstrated the AfCFTA e-tariff book that was developed with the support of the EU-WCO HS Africa Programme.

In his opening remarks, Mr. El-Shahaat GHATWARY, Commissioner of the Egyptian Customs Authority, highlighted that economic integration on a continental level has reached a new level with the commencement of intra-AfCFTA trade under the Guided Trade Initiative. He underscored that the AfCFTA connects the whole continent in one free market, which is an important step towards a Customs Union, and welcomed the support being provided by the EU and the WCO that shall greatly benefit Africa in the process of implementing the AfCFTA.

Mr. Nikolaos ZAIMIS, Head of Trade Section at the EU Delegation to the Arab Republic of Egypt, in his opening statement, welcomed Egypt’s strong leadership in relation to the AfCFTA, expressed by the hosting of the Guided Trade Initiative Workshop. He mentioned that the AfCFTA Agreement is a flagship agreement for Africa’s sustainable and socially inclusive development. The AfCFTA has been set up in record time and there are still issues to be finalized but the willingness to conclude the agreement and start intra-African trade is strong.

During the workshop participants engaged actively in discussions on the AfCFTA rules of origin and the challenges linked to their application and effective implementation. The participants found the interaction and discussions from both Customs and private sector perspectives very useful for the development of intra-continental trade and integration.

The EU-WCO Origin Africa Programme will continue to engage with national Customs Administrations to provide meaningful and targeted capacity building and technical assistance in implementing the AfCFTA Agreement, EPAs, and other FTAs.

For further information, please contact EU-WCORoOAfrica.Program@wcoomd.org