The role of customs in the 20th and 21st centuries has evolved in many respects. With the proliferation of regional trading arrangements (RTAs) whose main objective is to increase trade between the parties through elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, the role of customs in trade facilitation has gained increasing prominence in most regional trade agendas. This is largely because it is a customs responsibility to implement the tariff liberalisation commitments under the RTAs.

Equally important is the undeniable fact that burdensome customs procedures have been cited as one of the huge non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to trade. In addition, customs cooperation is an important aspect in the successful implementation of RTAs. It is not surprising therefore that most preferential trade agreements now include provisions on customs in the areas of simplification and harmonisation of trade procedures, documentation and customs cooperation. In addition, most of the RTAs now contain specific provisions on trade facilitation; however, in most such RTAs the details on the specific measures for achievement of the facilitation are usually either sketchy or non-existent.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) launched its free trade area (FTA) in 2008, in accordance with the provisions of the SADC Trade Protocol (STP) as a culmination of a process of progressive tariff phase-downs on originating goods that had begun in 2000. At the same time all forms of existing NTBs were to be eliminated with no new ones introduced. It is clear that while there has been significant success on removal of tariffs and on non-tariff barriers to trade, little progress has been made. The continued incidence of NTBs is a direct affront to efforts in the region to facilitate intraregional trade in accordance with the STP in fulfilment of the objectives of the SADC FTA, itself one of the key milestones of the SADC regional integration agenda.

Part Three of the STP provides for Customs Procedures that underpin the role of customs in the attainment of the objectives of the protocol. These procedures relate to rules of origin (Article 12), customs cooperation (Article 13), trade facilitation (Article 14) and transit trade (Article 15). In light of these articles, this paper seeks to explore:

• the general role of customs in regional trade

• key aspects of customs management in regional trade

• the role of customs in the implementation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation

• the role of customs in the 21st century and regional integration

• some of the challenges faced by customs administrations in the facilitation of regional trade.

Readers are encouraged to quote and reproduce this material for educational, non-profit purposes, provided the source is acknowledged. All views and opinions expressed remain solely those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of tralac.

Trade facilitation referrs to the simplification, harmonisation, standardisation and modernisation of trade procedures. It encompasses policies designed to reduce trade transaction costs, at-the-border and behind-the-border policy reforms, customs and border procedures, and, more recently, border management improvement, institutional development, transit and regional facilitation, logistics services markets and gateway infrastructure, among other important elements.

In addition to its prominence on the multilateral trade front, trade facilitation has gained currency in all modern-day regional trading arrangements motivated by the pressing need to eliminate non-tariff barriers and unnecessary other non-tariff measures that impede trade growth.

Trade facilitation negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) began in 2004, the obvious aim being to conclude a multilateral agreement that would help ensure the smooth and unimpeded flow of goods trade among WTO members. The negotiations were protracted, culminating in the recent landndmark conclusion of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) at the Bali Ministerial Conference held in December 2013.

This was, no doubt, a huge milestone for the WTO. The Agreement is set to be put into proper legal text, and become the Trade Facilitation Agreement after its adoption at the forthcoming July 2014 General Council meeting. As claimed by the WTO, the Agreement will generate between $400 billion and $1 trillion in global trade. 

For the southern African region, as is certainly the case with other developing and least developed regions, the question that now begs exploration is: What are the implications for the region of the newly adopted Agreement? This paper seeks to explore the implications to southern Africa of the conclusion of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, this also on the backdrop of the region’s current trade facilitation agenda. A few case studies will be used to highlight the nature and magnitude of some of the implications.

Readers are encouraged to quote and reproduce this material for educational, non-profit purposes, provided the source is acknowledged. All views and opinions expressed remain solely those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of tralac.

Zimbabwe is a landlocked developing country with a population of 14 million, sharing common borders with Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. Zimbabwe has 14 border posts, varying in size in accordance with the volume of traffic passing through them. Beitbridge, the only border post with South Africa, is the largest and busiest, owing to the fact that it is the gateway to the sea for most countries along the North-South Corridor. Zimbabwe thus provides a critical trade link between several countries in the southern African regions. The need for the country, especially its border posts, to play a trade facilitative role can therefore not be overemphasised.

Trade facilitation has become an important issue on the multilateral, regional and Zimbabwean trade agendas, and with it, border management efficiency. Border management concerns the administration of borders. Border agencies are responsible for the processing of people and goods at points of entry and exit, as well as for the detection and regulation of people and goods attempting to cross borders illegally. Efficient border management requires the cooperation of all border management agencies and such cooperation can only be achieved if proper coordination mechanisms, legal framework and institutions are established.

This study explores how border agencies in Zimbabwe operate and cooperate in border management. The objectives of the study were to:

• Identify agencies involved in border management in Zimbabwe;
• Analyse the scope of their role/involvement in border management; and
• Review domestic policy and legislation (statutes of these agencies) specifically to identify the legal provisions that facilitate cooperation among them

Readers are encouraged to quote and reproduce this material for educational, non-profit purposes, provided the source is acknowledged. All views and opinions expressed remain solely those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of tralac.

The COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite was created in 2006 to assist in the process of harmonising programmes and policies within and between the three Regional Economic Communities of COMESA, EAC and SADC and to advance the establishment of the African Economic Community. The three main pillars of the Tripartite strategy, as contained in the Vision and Strategy document that was endorsed at the second Tripartite Summit in June 2011 are Market Integration, Infrastructure Development and Industrial Development.

In the Tripartite region the costs of transport, in particular road transport (which accounts for about 95% of the volume of cargo transported in the region), is directly related to the time taken for the journey. The typical charge for a stationary truck is between US$200 to US$400 a day. Therefore, if a truck takes 3 days to clear a border (which is not excessive in the COMESA-EAC-SADC region) the transporter will pass on an additional cost of between US$600 to US$1,200 for the cost of the truck sitting idle at the border to the importer. This will, in turn, be passed on to the importer’s client and ultimately, to the consumer.

Until the underlying causes of these high costs of transport are addressed African countries will remain high-cost producers, with no major direct investments taking place in non-mineral sectors, restricted economic growth opportunities and slow progress made in poverty alleviation. An integral part of the Tripartite Free Trade Area is the design and implementation of a programme that is aimed at improving trade and transport measures and reducing non-tariff barriers to trade.

The aim of this paper is to describe the main components of the Tripartite trade facilitation and non-tariff barrier programmes and put these programmes into a regional and a multilateral context.

Readers are encouraged to quote and reproduce this material for educational, non-profit purposes, provided the source is acknowledged. All views and opinions expressed remain solely those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of tralac.