On 08 April 2025, the World Customs Organization (WCO) advised that under the framework of the European Union (EU) -WCO Rules of Origin (RoO) Africa Programme, funded by the EU in its partnership with Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), held an advanced training workshop on RoO for Zimbabwe Customs. The Workshop was held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from 31 March to 04 April 2025 to assist Zimbabwe Customs in enhancing its knowledge and application of preferential RoO and contribute to seamless implementation of the AfCFTA and other relevant Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
This Workshop builds on intermediate training conducted in 2024 and forms part of a comprehensive technical assistance and capacity-building partnership with ZIMRA in its capacity as a WCO Regional Training Center.
In closing remarks, the Acting Director of Human Capital thanked the WCO and the EU for their continued support. The director commended the participants who, through their active participation and engagement, have become part of the ZIMRA pool of origin experts. The director urged the participants to continue to acquire knowledge and to impart this knowledge to others to provide trade facilitation, increase revenue collection and ensure fairness in support of the ZIMRA mission.
During the workshop, participants deepened their understanding of how to navigate an FTA. They looked into key concepts for proper origin determination, including possible flexibilities such as cumulation, tolerance rules and the absorption principle, and related operational and procedural issues, including origin certification and verification. Case studies made the concepts more tangible and relatable. They allowed the participants to detangle the spaghetti bowl of RoO in various free trade agreements applicable in Zimbabwe, including SADC, COMESA and the AfCFTA.
Participants also had the opportunity to observe the practical application and management of rules of origin through a field visit to a dairy product factory. They were walked through the complex production line from fresh milk to the manufacturing and packing of cheese, yoghurt and ice cream.
The EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme will continue its work with ZIMRA to equip Customs officials with extended knowledge for efficient implementation and application of RoO. As a next step, the programme will conduct training for trainers, which will pave the way for Customs to disseminate their knowledge to colleagues and other relevant stakeholders.