Eswatini has become the first COMESA Member State to launch a Pilot Implementation of the COMESA Electronic Certificate of Origin (E-CO). This transformative development is poised to 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 confer preferential treatment to goods originating from an FTA Member State. The eCO initiative is implemented by the COMESA Trade Facilitation Programme funded by the 11th European Development Fund (EDF).
COMESA e-CO will benefit both businesses and customs authorities including reduction in processing times and lower costs, enabling goods to move across borders more efficiently.
Eswatini Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Hon Manqoba Khumalo and COMESA Secretary General, Chileshe Kapwepwe, symbolically launched the e-CO at the Eswatini Revenue Services (ERS) offices on 7th November 2024 in the presence of Ambassador Designate and Head of the EU Delegation, Eswatini, Mr Karsten Mecklenburg.
During the launch, Kapwepwe also handed over 17 laptops to the ERS for use in the execution of the system.
Speaking during the ceremony the Minister stated that the COMESA Electronic Certificate of Origin resonates well with the country’s vision for the National Trade Facilitation Roadmap, which is “To transform Eswatini into a one-stop, paperless and climate-smart seamless trade hub with digitalized processes”.
The COMESA e-CO replaces the traditional, paper- based Certificate of Origin, which the Minister said has served the County well over the years.
“However, in today’s digital age, the demand for a faster, more secure, and reliable system has grown exponentially. The eCO is designed to meet these demands by providing a digital platform that simplifies the certification process, minimizes paperwork, and reduces the time needed for verification and approval,” Hon. Manqoba said.
Secretary General said a fully operational eCO will unlock new economic opportunities, including reduction of processing and clearance costs and time by removing manual operations and bureaucracy of administrators.
ECO will increase efficiency and transparency through the 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. She added that 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.
She stressed that the introduction of the eCO not only emphasizes COMESA’s commitment to regional integration and trade facilitation but also aligns with global trends towards paperless trade systems.
Ambassador Mecklenburg, said the implementation of the COMESA eCO is a small part of a longstanding cooperation and partnership between the European Union (EU) and COMESA, built on a shared vision on regional integration and connectivity, dismantling barriers to regional trade, to increase policy coherence and to stimulate sustainable economic growth and development.
“By adopting this technology, we are supporting our businesses to become more competitive in the international market, while also addressing issues of fraud and authenticity verification that can sometimes arise with paper documents,” he said.
Besides, Eswatini, the other two Member States which are ready to pilot the eCO are Malawi and Zambia. COMESA is expected to launch the regional eCO during the forthcoming Council of Ministers’ meeting on 28 November 2024 in Lusaka, Zambia.