Customs

WCO study on harmonisation across origin regimes

On 26 November 2025, the World Customs Organization (WCO) released its new study titled “Comprehensive Comparative Study on the Applicable Rules of Origin in the Western and Central Africa Region”.

This in-depth research maps and compares the Rules of Origin (RoO) frameworks applied under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

By comparing similarities and differences across these regimes, the study provides policymakers and Customs administrations with valuable insights into overlapping origin regimes and policy options to advance regulatory alignment, ultimately supporting further convergence and enhancing regional economic integration.

Key differences in regional approaches to rules of origin relate to:

  • The definition of the territory, which notably provides for variations regarding the maritime territory.
  • The availability of cumulation of origin provisions, especially the ability to combine both materials and processes.
  • Procedures regarding proofs of origin, which demonstrate varying approaches concerning validity, exemptions and thresholds.

The study was conducted under the European Union (EU)‑WCO RoO Africa programme, funded by the European Union (EU). In February 2024, the programme published a comparable study for the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region. That earlier work revealed substantial disparities across origin regimes in the ESA region. It served as the trigger for delivering technical assistance to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC) to align their rules of origin with the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) and the AfCFTA, two key frameworks for Africa’s economic integration.

The TFTA brings together COMESA, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the EAC, covering 29 countries and accounting for over 60% of the continent’s gross domestic product (GDP). It aims to harmonise trade policies across these blocs, facilitating seamless intra-African commerce and reducing tariff barriers. The AfCFTA, established by the African Union, seeks to create a continent-wide market by consolidating existing free trade area arrangements. Both frameworks address the challenges of fragmented trade agreements and aim to create a unified continental market that enhances Africa’s position in global trade. The TFTA and AfCFTA are expected to foster industrialisation, employment growth and infrastructure development by eliminating trade bottlenecks and integrating fragmented value chains.

These studies provide a thorough overview of the RoO applicable in Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and of EU-Africa Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), facilitating the sharing of regional practices and origin regimes.

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