Eswatini has become the first Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Comesamember states to launch a pilot implementation of the Comesa Electronic Certificate of Origin e-CO.
Comesa believes this development will be a game-changer in trade facilitation that will offer the customs authorities a more robust system of certification verification, allowing for better control over goods entering and leaving respective countries
The certificates of origin are issued to exporters within the Comesa Free Trade Area FTA to provide preferential treatment to goods originating from an FTA member state. The e-CO initiative has been implemented by the Comesa Trade Facilitation Programme funded by the 11th European Development Fund.
It is expected to benefit both businesses and customs authorities by reducing processing times and lowering costs, enabling goods to move across borders more efficiently.
E-CO will increase efficiency and transparency through real-time tracking, monitoring of processes and certificates and enhancing security through the digital signature and secure data exchange, and improved compliance with national and regional legal requirements, says Comesa Secretary-General, Chileshe Kapwepwe.
She believes there will also be increased government revenue by reducing the forgery of certificates and improving volume of trade.
Our vision is clear a Comesa region where trade and investment flows freely, efficiently, and securely. While we congratulate Eswatini for its achievements, we also call upon other member states to embrace the full implementation of the Comesa electronic certificate of origin as soon as possible.
Besides, Eswatini, two more member states are ready to pilot the e-CO - Malawi and Zambia.
Comesa is expected to launch the regional e-CO during the forthcoming Council of Ministers meeting on November 28 in Lusaka, Zambia.
Sign up to our mailing list and get daily news headlines and weekly features directly to your inbox free. Subscribe to receive print copies of Freight News Features to your door.
