Customs administrations from Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have agreed on a common roadmap to connect their customs information systems, in an effort to reduce delays at borders and make the movement of goods across some of Southern Africa’s busiest trade corridors more predictable.
The agreement was reached at a three-day meeting in Pretoria from 24 to 26 August, where senior customs, legal and information and communications technology officials adopted a Roadmap and Action Plan for the development and implementation of Customs-to-Customs (C2C) data exchange. The meeting was hosted by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and convened by TradeMark Africa, with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat participating.
The initiative is intended to allow customs authorities in neighbouring countries to exchange relevant trade information before consignments reach border posts. In principle, this can allow documentation and risk assessments to be undertaken earlier, reducing the amount of processing required when trucks and other consignments physically arrive.
For countries whose economies are closely connected through regional supply chains, the significance extends beyond the border itself. A shipment moving between Southern African markets can cross several jurisdictions before reaching its destination, meaning that delays or duplication at one point can affect manufacturers, transport operators, wholesalers and consumers further along the chain.
TradeMark Africa Regional Director for Southern Africa Hope Situmbeko said the problem was particularly relevant to regional manufacturing, where production can depend on inputs sourced from several countries. Electrical cable manufacturing, for example, can require copper, polymers, specialised additives and machinery originating in different markets. Each additional border crossing creates another point at which administrative delays can interrupt production and increase costs.
Situmbeko argued that the effectiveness of C2C should ultimately be assessed by its effect on the movement of goods rather than by the completion of the technology itself. Her central point was that customs information should be available before the cargo arrives, allowing authorities to make better-informed decisions without requiring every consignment to undergo the same level of intervention.
That distinction is important because digitalisation alone does not necessarily remove bottlenecks. The value of an interconnected customs system will depend on whether participating administrations adopt compatible standards, maintain reliable infrastructure, establish clear rules for data sharing and use the information to redesign operational procedures.
Beyers Theron, SARS Director for Customs and Excise, said customs authorities face the dual responsibility of facilitating legitimate commerce while protecting public revenue and managing compliance risks. He argued that trusted information exchanged between neighbouring administrations could allow border agencies to concentrate resources on higher-risk consignments while enabling compliant trade to move more efficiently.
The approach also reflects a broader shift in the way regional trade facilitation is being considered. Rather than viewing customs primarily as an enforcement point, the participating administrations are seeking to use information and risk management to distinguish between transactions that require intervention and those that can be cleared with fewer physical or documentary checks.
The distinction matters for businesses operating on thin margins. A truck delayed for an additional day can represent more than a transport inconvenience: it can affect vehicle utilisation, driver costs, inventory planning and working capital. For manufacturers operating integrated regional supply chains, an unpredictable border can also become a production risk.
The proposed system builds on work that is already taking place between some of the participating countries. TradeMark Africa said operational C2C connections between Zambia and Malawi, and between Zambia and Zimbabwe, provide a foundation for a more harmonised regional approach. Implementation of the broader system is expected to be phased, beginning with priority corridors.
This is consistent with wider efforts within Southern Africa to improve the movement of goods and support regional value chains. In August, SADC member states also advanced work on the implementation of the SADC Simplified Trade Regime, including initiatives designed to make formal cross-border commerce more accessible to small-scale traders.
The two strands of reform are significant because regional trade is not conducted solely by large corporations. Small manufacturers, agricultural traders, transport operators and informal or emerging businesses are part of the commercial networks that connect Southern African markets. Digital customs reforms that reduce duplication without creating new compliance costs could therefore have consequences beyond large freight operators.
There is, however, a distinction between agreeing a regional roadmap and achieving measurable reductions in border times. The five administrations will still have to resolve questions surrounding data standards, interoperability, cybersecurity, legal authority, institutional responsibilities and the quality and timeliness of information being exchanged. Differences in national customs procedures and technology platforms can also complicate implementation.
The regional initiative therefore represents a step towards integration rather than an immediate solution to border congestion.
Its potential importance can be seen in the wider structure of African commerce. According to the 2024 African Trade Report from Afreximbank, intra-African trade reached approximately US$192.2 billion in 2023, representing about 14.9 per cent of total African trade. Southern Africa was the largest contributor among Africa’s regional groupings, accounting for about 41.1 per cent of intra-African trade in that year.
Those figures illustrate why the efficiency of Southern African corridors has implications for continental integration. Trade between African countries remains considerably smaller than the continent’s trade with external markets, and improving the movement of goods within Africa is one of the mechanisms through which initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area can translate from policy into commercial activity.
