A. General Information
Southern African Development Community (SADC) e-Certificate of Origin
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
B. Lessons Learned
By implementing electronic Certificates of Origin (eCoO), the main objectives are to increase seamless flow of intra-regional trade, support regional industrialization and, ultimately, accelerate the regional economic development
Challenges which traders and customs officials have been facing in using the manual Certificate of Origin (CoO) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will be resolved as soon as the SADC Electronic Certificate of Origin (e-CoO) becomes operational.
Intra-SADC regional trade is being slowed down by delays and other involved costs in the manual processing of the CoO from start to end, contributing to the total negative effect on trade. As one of the key focus areas for the SADC Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP), the e-CoO will increase the seamless flow of intra-trade across the Region by eliminating impediments caused by the manual process.
The e-CoO, which replaces the manual SADC Certificate of Origin issued by the issuing authority in the country of origin of the goods, will help the trader to apply on-line, trace the application and get the response on the submission digitally, thus infusing efficiency in the process.
The SADC e-Certificate of Origin is an electronically processed and issued by an issuing authority attesting that goods declared by an exporter conform to specific Rules of Origin as per the criteria provided in the SADC Protocol on Trade. Generally, the certificate of origin is a required document by importing country for the purpose of granting duty free and tax free, statistics and risk assessment. With the SADC e-Certificate of Origin, issuance of certificates is done through a system, and the authorization process, which includes registration of exporters, stamps, and signatures, is done in electronic format. The electronic system will allow manufacturers, producers, and exporters to electronically register their products for preferential treatment and apply for certificates of origin whenever there is an export shipment. Furthermore, the system allows Customs officers to approve the system electronically.
Certificates of Origin/Preferential COs
Benefits of the SADC e-Certificate of Origin:
- The eCoO is paperless making it environmental friendly
- It supports the regional quest to enhance e-Commerce and automation hence addressing some of the communicable diseases such as COVID-19.
- Eliminates Certificates of Origin related fraud since there is an immediate transmission of certified certificate of origin to designated third party recipients in a secure electronic environment
- Saves times as there is no need to visit Customs offices for application and registration. These are done online
- Reduces transaction cost
- Reduces errors and duplicate entries
- Provides direct accessibility of Customs Administration in importing country to the Certificate of Origin issued by the exporting authority
- Allows for properly documented production and process that enables Customs to ascertain origin of goods easily
- Ensures improved record management
- Reduces Cross-border certificate verification time
- Improves available accurate statistical data
The implementation of the eCoO is one of the milestones of the Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP), which is supported by the European Union and GIZ under the “Cooperation for the Enhancement of SADC Regional Economic Integration” (CESARE) programme that provides for capacity-building and technical assistance in border cooperation by ensuring the implementation of SADC Coordinated Border Management Guidelines and the provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO’s) Trade Facilitation Agreement, particularly on improving the efficiency of their operations.
The implementation of the eCoO is one of the milestones of the Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP), which is supported by the European Union and GIZ under the “Cooperation for the Enhancement of SADC Regional Economic Integration” (CESARE) programme that provides for capacity-building and technical assistance in border cooperation by ensuring the implementation of SADC Coordinated Border Management Guidelines and the provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO’s) Trade Facilitation Agreement, particularly on improving the efficiency of their operations.