Resolved complaints

Showing items 1 to 14 of 14
Complaint number NTB Type
Category 1. Government Participation in Trade and Restrictive Practices Tolerated by Governments
Category 2. Customs and Administrative Entry Procedures
Category 3. Technical Barriers to Trade
Category 4. Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
Category 5. Specific Limitations
Category 6. Charges on Imports
Category 7. Other
Check allUncheck all		 Date of incident Location
CEN-SAD
COMESA
EAC
ECCAS
ECOWAS
IGAD
SADC
UMA
Reporting country or region
CEN-SAD
COMESA
EAC
ECCAS
ECOWAS
IGAD
SADC
UMA
Status Actions
AfCFTA-000-004 2.5. Rules of origin 2020-06-16 Niger: Gaya Benin Complaint registered with REC View
Complaint: Le Certificat d'origine (CO) qui accompagne la marchandise est signé par la Directrice de la Promotion Industrielle (Direction Générale du Développement Industriel) conformément aux exigences pour l'exportation des produits industriels. Malheureusement les Services des douanes nigériens exigent un CO signé par la Direction Générale du Commerce.  
AfCFTA-000-011 2.5. Rules of origin 2020-12-05 Kenya: Namanga Tanzania, United Republic of Transferred View
Complaint: Republic of Kenya has denied importation of glass products from Tanzania Company Kioo limited.  
AfCFTA-000-012 5.1. Embargoes and other restrictions of similar effect 2021-11-22 Kenya: Poultry products from Uganda have been banned from entering the Kenyan market. Transferred View
Complaint: The government of Kenya without giving any reason arbitrarily banned all poultry products from Uganda from accessing the Kenyan market. It is not clear when the ban will end or if it will end. My clients have lost and continue to lose a lot of money thanks to this arbitrary and protectionist measure by the government of Kenya going against all the principles of the International Trade especially Kenya's obligations as a part of the East African Community Customs Union.  
AfCFTA-000-015 6.5. Other 2022-01-01 Mozambique: Ressano Garcia (Road) Mozambique Transferred View
Complaint: Introduction by Autoridade Tributária de Moçambique of a SINGLE ENTRY Temporary Import Permit (TIP) at a cost of MZN700, which is currently processed manually for the majority of vehicles at Ressano Garcia's KM4 facility.
The costs are prohibitive for companies moving transit cargo from South Africa to the Port of Maputo, with 15 loads per week per vehicle a common achievement. In addition, the delays experienced by the manual processing of the TIP document adds significant cost on account of the waiting time that drivers are subjected to. The Port of Maputo has collaborated with Customs in Mozambique to collect electronic payments for the TIPs, but so far only 10 companies have taken up the use of the facility. Even those companies registered on the Port's electronic system are not guaranteed speedy processing, and delays are still experienced by drivers as they still have to queue to collect the TIP document. Electronic payments should take precedent over manual payments, but in reality this is not the case. It is common knowledge that a R50 bribe will speed up the processing of the TIP document.
The SADC Protocol on Trade is clear in its reference to the removal of tariffs and non tariff barriers. At this point, the TIP cost to one company moving 180 trucks per month, is in excess of R1,4million ZAR or USD88,000. The manual processing compromises the integrity of the system and the costs directly impact the competitiveness of the trade route for imports and transit imports into Mozambique.
With the push towards the harmonization of regulations within the SADC and TRIPARTITE region, the TIP process should be harmonized with that of South Africa which has a multiple entry TIP valid for 6 months and is processed at no cost to the user. 		 
AfCFTA-000-025 2.6. Customs formalities 2023-03-10 South Africa: Skilpadshek Botswana Transferred View
Complaint: Basotho nationals had gone to Zambia to buy goods. On arrival they are detained at the border by RSA authorities saying they should indefinitely SARS to evaluate the goods and the brand owners who will check if the brands of goods e.g Nike shoes are fake or original. If fake they confiscate their goods bought with lots of money. They closed the border and knocked off and left them in the taxis they were in. No food, and no toilets opened for them to help themselves. South African shops sell fake new brands in thier shops, e.g fake nike takkies. Why do they treat people buying from a SADC region like this. Why are they creating technical barriers. These goods which are not stolen but bought are only passing through South African land. Please help our people. There can't be an African free trade agreement and on the other hand Border gate employees at a border between Mahikeng and Botswana on the south African side detain people indefinitely and knock off  
AfCFTA-000-065 1.2. Restrictive practices tolerated by governments 2024-03-01 Kenya: KAJIADO COUNTY Transferred View
Complaint: THE COUNTY OF KAJIADO CHARGES TRANSIT FEES OF 2000 KSH PER FOREIGN TRANSIT TRUCKS  
AfCFTA-000-066 3.2. Conformity assessments 2023-09-19 Nigeria: Port of Onne Tanzania, United Republic of In process View
Complaint: Nigeria has made it mandatory for COTECNA( Private Company) to inspect the sisal fiber that is exported to Nigeria, the same role is performed by the Tanzania Sisal Board which is the regulator of sisal in Tanzania, hence multiple inspections, and Nigeria do not recognize certificate from Tanzania Sisal Board. COTECNA charges an annual registration fee start with USD 1000 and adding up USD 120 per additional product and the fee for a certificate of conformity is USD 350 per consignment. which the Sisal Board does not charge for certificate of conformity  
Progress: AfCFTA Secretariat in contact with State Parties National Focal points to resolve the NTB  
AfCFTA-000-085 4.3. Other 2024-09-24 Tanzania, United Republic of: Kabanga Burundi Transferred View
Complaint: URT IS IMPOSING TO BURUNDI A TAX FOR SALUBRITY FOR TRANSIT TRUCKS .  
AfCFTA-000-087 2.4. Samples 2024-11-20 Lesotho: Maseru Bridge Lesotho Transferred View
Complaint: Samples being sent by road-freight to South Africa for testing at an accredited laboratory were refused passage.
Company was informed that the only way to send the samples for testing was to send via air 		 
AfCFTA-000-088 3.1. Technical regulations, and standards including packaging, labelling and marking requirements 2024-08-01 Tanzania, United Republic of: Tunduma South Africa Transferred View
Complaint: Certain African countries are now requiring annual renewal of all test reports for our safety footwear crossing their borders. Financially, this translates to approximately R55,000 per test per style. For manufacturers such as ourselves exporting multiple styles annually, the cost could potentially run into millions, significantly impacting our margins but also creating potential delays or disruptions.  
AfCFTA-000-092 2.6. Customs formalities 2024-09-03 Côte d'Ivoire: Noe Ghana In process View
Complaint: Ladyshes Code Ventures is a registered company in Ghana that import and export agro-based products.
The company received orders to supply cocoa shells to be used as fertilizer in Ghana. Because there was limited supply in Ghana, the company decided to take advantage of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) to import from Cote D'Ivoire.
Accordingly, the company visited AFCFTA secretariate to enquire further about the possibility to import the Cocoa Shells from Abidjan/Cote D' Ivoire to Ghana. The secretariat advised that we obtain the AFCFTA Certificate of Origin or ECOWAS Trade Liberalization (ETLS) and that we should visit the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Abidjan to attain it of which we did.
The Cocoa Shells was bought and unfortunately for us when the truck got to the Noe border, customs requested an authorization from us before the truck (LSR-379YD) would be allowed to cross the border.
Quickly the agent wrote to the Cote D'Ivoire Cocoa and Coffee Board for the authorization on two (2) different occasions but to no avail.
On one faithful day, customs officials asked the driver to take the truck through the scan of which he did.
Afterwards a report issued and confirmed that it was cocoa shells but they still need an authorization to cross the border.
Notwithstanding the above, the driver was arrested, detained, put in cells and now facing trial for not having authorization letter.
Currently, the truck has been there for almost two months, the shells is at its perishable stage, the authorization has still not been issued, and the driver is facing trial.
  
AfCFTA-000-100 7.2. Other 2025-09-09 Algeria: Salon IATF, Alger Comoros New View
Complaint: Je suis une MPME exposante à la foire IATF 2025 à Alger, à mon arrivée je ne connaissais pas le système monétaire local. J'ai vendu des produits agroalimentaires (vanille) et cosmétiques à un taux de change de 150 dinars pour un euro (taux de la banque). Après ces transactions, j'ai voulu échanger ces dinars en euros et c'est la que j'ai appris ce que ce n'était pas possible et que sinon il fallait les échanger à un taux de 260 (un écart de 110 dinars par euro) de manière informelle. Je me suis donc déplacé à la banque et à ma grande surprise je ne pouvais pas avoir des euros. J'ai également demandé à transférer l'argent aux Comores mais aucune agence ne pouvait le faire. Ma seule issue était de tout dépenser en Algerie.   
AfCFTA-000-101 7.2. Other 2025-09-09 Algeria: Salon IATF, Alger Comoros New View
Complaint: J'étais présente au salon IATF, venant des Comores pour exposer des produits alimentaires. Malheureusement, je n'ai pas pu vendre mes produits en euros ou dollars, j'ai du les vendre en dinar algérien. J'ai rencontré des difficultés pour changer cet argent en euros ou dollars car plusieurs reglementations m'en n'ont empéché.  
AfCFTA-000-103 5.1. Embargoes and other restrictions of similar effect 2025-10-01 Senegal: Dakar Port Ghana New View
Complaint: The Government of Senegal has banned the import of bananas into Senegal from Ghana through the port of Dakar.There is no time indication as to when the ban will be lifted. This also affects exports of banana from Ghana through Dakar port to Mauritania.  
<< Previous Next >>
Partners  |  Glossary  |  Help