Botswana, Namibia and South Africa have begun testing the regional recognition of accredited traders under live operating conditions at selected border posts.
The second phase of the Southern African Customs Union’s (SACU) Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Mutual Recognition Arrangement pilot began on Tuesday, August 18, and will run until March 2027, SACU said in a statement.
The pilot will test whether accredited traders receive agreed customs benefits when moving goods between the participating countries, according to the customs union.
These benefits include expedited clearance and release of goods, fewer routine inspections and priority processing when physical inspections are required. Inspections might also be conducted at alternative approved locations, SACU said.
The initiative will test cross-border recognition procedures and supporting systems, assess the readiness of the participating countries and identify operational problems ahead of a planned SACU-wide roll-out in April 2027.
The pilot would move the mutual recognition arrangement from policy into practical implementation within the Common Customs Area, said SACU.
“The programme is expected to reduce border delays, improve supply chain safety and security as well as improve cross-border efficiency,” it said.
The launch followed operational dry runs conducted by the Botswana Unified Revenue Service, the Namibia Revenue Agency and the South African Revenue Service, according to SACU.
The exercises began at the Port of Walvis Bay on July 29, followed by tests at the Mamuno and Buitepos border posts along the Trans-Kalahari Corridor on July 31.
Further dry runs were conducted at the Tlokweng and Kopfontein border posts between Botswana and South Africa on August 3 and 4, and between Namibia and South Africa on August 6 and 7, SACU said.
The exercises were used to test procedures, observe the processing of AEO-accredited traders and identify improvements required before the live pilot began.
The first pilot phase, involving Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa, ran from January to March this year.
The five SACU revenue administrations signed the regional mutual recognition arrangement in May 2023. It enables a customs authority in one member state to recognise traders accredited as AEOs by another participating authority.
SACU’s country figures show that the region had 1 072 accredited AEOs at the end of the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
South Africa accounted for 1 006, followed by Eswatini with 33, Lesotho with 14, Namibia with ten and Botswana with nine, according to SACU.
