On 10 January 2025, the World Customs Organization (WCO) advised that it had held a national workshop to raise awareness of the Rules of Origin (RoO) of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for the Tanzanian Customs administration and the private sector from 3 to 5 December 2024 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This workshop, organised jointly by the WCO through the WCO/JICA Joint Project and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), was designed to enhance the competencies of TRA officers on the preferential RoO of the AfCFTA and the understanding of the private sector‘s understanding of the AfCFTA RoO and use of its preferential scheme. The AfCFTA is the first ever continent-wide Free Trade Agreement with the principal objective of expanding intra-African trade.
At the opening ceremony, the TRA representative and the Resident Representative of the JICA Tanzania Office highlighted the pertinence of the sensitisation workshop.
Forty-six (46) Customs officers participated in this three-day course, led by a WCO expert staff member from the Origin Sub-Directorate and three Master Trainers on RoO from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Some key aspects of AfCFTA RoO discussed at the workshop included product-specific rules and cumulation. The AfCFTA has product-specific RoO for various sectors, such as textiles, automotive, and agricultural products. The AfCFTA also allows for cumulation of origin, enabling countries to consider materials from other member states as originating from the country where the final product is produced, among other RoO. Thanks to the workshop’s rich contents and the participants’ active involvement, the participants were enlightened on the AfCFTA RoO at the end of the workshop.
The AfCFTA aims to create a single market for African goods and services. RoOs are crucial in determining which products qualify for preferential tariff treatment under the AfCFTA. Correct application of RoO ensures that only eligible products benefit from reduced tariffs, preventing trade diversion and revenue loss.
The workshop was a tangible step towards realising the benefits of the AfCFTA. It was also crucial to implementing the WCO’s capacity-building strategy, as it utilised its pool of experts in the beneficiary region.