2023-05-14 09:44:31
The Tunisian Customs General Directorate (DGD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Export Development, recently organized an awareness conference on the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (Zlecaf ) for the benefit of its executives and agents, on the theme: “Acceleration of the implementation of Zlecaf in Tunisia: what is the role of customs? »…
… And this, within the framework of the Cooperation project supporting trade agreements with Africa (Aaca), implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHTunisie and mandated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The conference was held under the aegis of Najet Jaouadi, Director General of Tunisian Customs, and Lazhar Bennour, Director General of Economic and Commercial Cooperation at the Ministry of Trade and Export Development, with the participation of the Aaca Cooperation Project Team Leader (GIZ), Amal Mghirbi, and representatives of economic operators, the private sector and other economic bodies, including representatives of chambers of commerce and industry.
Support for trade agreements with Africa
This project, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ Tunisia in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade and Export Development, aims to support negotiations and implementation of the Zlecaf and Comesa Agreements, to build the capacities of the public and private sectors to use, but also to take advantage of the said Free Trade Agreements, to raise awareness of the agreements and popularize the operational tools for the implementation of the Zlecaf agreements and Comesa and promote dialogue between the public and private sectors within the framework of regional agreements with Africa.
In this context and in application of the memorandum of cooperation signed on March 15 between the Mcde, the DGD and GIZ Tunisia, the Directorate General of Tunisian Customs wanted to organize this conference to highlight its role in the development of exports to Sub-Saharan Africa.
The objective is also to sensitize executives and customs officers on the specificities of the Zlecaf Agreement and the importance of their role in its implementation. Added to this is support for capacity building and the training of trainers of customs officers in the rules of origin and tariff classification of the Zlecaf and Comesa agreements.
In addition, project stakeholders have shown their enthusiasm for the deployment of two flagship initiatives, in addition to capacity building measures, by the Support for Trade Agreements with Africa component, in particular the establishment of the advance decision in Tunisia and the digitization of procedures related to the issuance of certificates of origin, in collaboration with the Tunisian Chambers of Commerce and Industry which themselves benefit from specific support in this context by the Aaca project .
A market of 1.3 billion people
The conference started with a presentation of the Aaca project, followed by a presentation of the state of progress of the negotiations within the framework of the Zlecaf as well as its implementation in Tunisia and finally of the rules of origin.
The agreement aims to create a market for goods, services, investment, and to liberalize the movement of people in order to deepen the economic integration of the African continent in accordance with vision 2.063 (Africa integrated, prosperous and Pacific), through the gradual elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers, regulatory and customs cooperation and trade facilitation.
It will thus give member countries access to a market of 1.3 billion people for a cumulative GDP of more than 3.4 billion dollars, by establishing a single market for goods and services made in Africa.
The Zlecaf will have a positive impact on the national economy and will, among other things, increase the capacities of Tunisian companies in terms of trade, diversification, structural transformation by promoting job creation, better socio-economic integration women and youth with a particular focus on digital trade in Africa. Hence the need to have the necessary knowledge and tools to be able to integrate this market. The presentations were followed by a panel of discussions on the challenges and obstacles related to the rules of origin and the issuance of the Zlecaf certificate of origin before continuing with a presentation of the results of the collection of needs and the announcement the capacity building support program and the training of trainers for the benefit of the DGD.
New horizons for operators tunisian economy
Tunisia, under the impetus of its private sector aware of the economic potential offered by the African continent and the need to diversify its trade partnerships, had joined various regional integration projects, in particular with the signing, since 2018, and then the ratification in 2020 of the agreements establishing the Comesa market and the Zlecaf. Thus, the Aaca project supports this process of economic integration of the Tunisian authorities by supporting the development of national skills, particularly at the level of the DGD which is a key player in trade facilitation.
1684121915
#Accelerating #implementation #Zlecaf #Tunisia #role #customs