Efficient ports, faster border crossings and better customs cooperation – not new trade agreements alone – will determine whether the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) delivers on its promise, speakers at this year’s Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Southern Africa Connect & Engage Conference said.
Governments, regulators and businesses must work together to improve border efficiency, procurement systems and supply chain planning if the region is to build more resilient supply chains and strengthen intra-African trade, they said.
Delivering the full potential of the AfCFTA will depend on how efficiently goods move across the continent, said South African Revenue Service Commissioner Johnstone Makhubu.
“Its success will not be determined by signatures but by trucks, ports and borders.”
Efficient ports, faster customs clearance and seamless digital trade platforms are critical to the success of the AfCFTA, Makhubu added.
“Without supply chains, free trade remains only an aspiration.”
Paul Vos, Regional Managing Director of CIPS Southern Africa, told Freight News many of the right agreements are already in place but implementation remains the biggest obstacle.
“The challenge remains execution and the need for our tax regulators to communicate more effectively with each other. Are tax authorities across Africa working together? Are the port authorities working together? That is what is important.”
Vos said delays at border posts could make it cheaper and more cost-effective to import goods from overseas than move them from South Africa to neighbouring countries such as Zambia.
Chief Executive of the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe Clever Ruswa said organisations should shift their thinking from “just in time” to “just in case” by strengthening contingency planning and improving supplier visibility.
Ruswa also called for greater alignment of procurement laws across Africa to reduce bureaucracy and help countries respond more effectively to external shocks.
Additionally, Vos said businesses should rethink traditional sourcing models: rather than relying on single suppliers, organisations should develop more agile supply networks and invest in the capabilities needed to manage an increasingly volatile trading environment.
