Strengthening Bilateral Customs Connectivity Between Zambia and Tanzania

The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) have made significant strides to strengthen the connectivity of their Customs systems to facilitate cross-border trade between Zambia and Tanzania and enhance intra-regional trade in general.

A bilateral workshop was held between the project teams of ZRA and TRA from 2 to 6 September 2024 in Lusaka, Zambia, to progress with the initiative to integrate their automated Customs systems and enable the electronic exchange of Customs data between the two Revenue Authorities. This innovative partnership, which aims to streamline cross-border trade, made possible with the support of the World Customs Organization (WCO) under the aegis of Trade Facilitation and Customs Modernization Programme for Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa (Sida-WCO TFCM Programme) with funding from the government of Sweden.

The integration of the Customs systems will address the challenges in data exchange between the two countries, improve Customs risk management, help reduce transit fraud, and enhance the seamless flow and growth of legitimate cross-border trade. In that regard, ZRA and TRA are fully committed to implementing the WCO instruments for strengthening the Customs-to-Customs network. These include the WCO Data Model, the Globally Networked Customs (GNC) framework, and the Unique Consignment Reference, which will play a crucial role in the success of this initiative.

The bilateral initiative represents a key milestone in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region's broader efforts to enhance trade facilitation and drive economic growth, aligning with the shared vision of seamless cross-border trade across Southern and Eastern Africa.

For more information on the Sida-WCO TFCM Programme, kindly contact: [email protected]