The Southern African Customs Union has presented a tariff offer to the African Continental Free Trade Area pleading for a reduction in tariff rates. 

This is to ensure that the SACU business community leverage on the benefits of the AfCFTA while encouraging intra-Africa trade.

SACU's Executive Secretary Thabo Khasipe says the reduction will allow the rest of Africa to sell their goods within the Southern African region and vice versa.

The tariff offer, which represents 90% of the SACU Tariff Book in line with the tariff liberalization, was submitted to the AfCFTA secretariat last month for verifications and will be finalized soon to facilitate the implementation of the agreement.

Khasipe advised SACU member states to make sure that businesses within the region analyze the value and supply chains within the rest of Africa to be able to compete continentally in view of accelerating the implementation of the AfCFTA.
 
The idea is, you will be buying inputs from a SACU member state and will be through logistic processes within the region moving your inputs, and your raw materials from where ever they are to where ever you will be undertaking production, and through that chain, after you've produced, you'll then be able to package and distribute to the consumer, how do we optimize it, because it is through that optimization that you are able to lend on the market with a very competitive raw product in terms of the quality and price of the product.