Botswana and South Africa are assessing border readiness to support faster customs clearance under the SACU AEO pilot programme
Customs authorities from Botswana and South Africa, together with the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Secretariat, have carried out a border assessment exercise to prepare for the rollout of the SACU Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).
Officials from the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS), the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the SACU Secretariat and other government agencies met at the Tlokweng/Kopfontein Border Post from August 3-4 to evaluate the border’s readiness to facilitate accredited traders. The exercise also sought to identify potential challenges and opportunities ahead of the pilot programme.
The AEO programme is designed to reward businesses with a strong compliance record and secure supply chain practices. Through the SACU Mutual Recognition Arrangement, accredited traders will benefit from simplified customs procedures when moving goods between participating SACU member states.
According to BURS, the initiative is expected to reduce border delays, lower the cost of doing business and improve the movement of legitimate goods across the region.
SACU AEO Champion Noxolo Mshumpela said the arrangement allows member states to recognise each other’s accredited traders, making cross-border trade more efficient.
“These meetings are critical in assessing the practicality of the current arrangements and identifying areas for improvement to eliminate bottlenecks, where they exist,” she said.
Mshumpela added that assessing each member state’s level of readiness will give the Secretariat a clearer picture of implementation progress and help guide future policy decisions.
Opening the meeting, BURS Acting Manager for External Relations Tshegofatso Mokgethi said the assessment is an important step towards strengthening regional trade.
“The outcome of this pilot will contribute significantly to seamless trade between Botswana and South Africa while supporting the broader objective of facilitating trade across the SACU region,” she said.
The exercise follows a similar border readiness assessment conducted by Botswana and Namibia last week as SACU continues the phased implementation of the AEO Mutual Recognition Arrangement.