The business community is encouraged to take advantage of the Authorized Economic Operator Programme meant to ensure that the Southern African Customs Union collectively becomes competitive in trade facilitations and creates a robust regional value chain.

The Authorized Economic Operator Programme under SACU, now in its second phase is assessing whether the authorized economic traders approved by customs administrations are complying with the supply chain security standards developed by the world customs organization and awarded certain trade facilitation benefits.

This will address inefficiencies in customs and other government agencies and enable an environment for the business community to move goods faster at a reduced cost to maintain their competitiveness.

Speaking at a national awareness session organised by NAMRA and SACU, Industrialisation and Trade Minister Lucia Ipumbu called for collaborative efforts to achieve the set objectives and establish mutually beneficial partnerships and explore trading benefits.

"Customs Administrations and other Government agencies are therefore expected to improve the processing of an increased number of cargo with a lesser reliance on physical intervention and with greater efficiency and speed, without compromising the safety and security, revenue collection, and enforcement responsibilities. Countries can enter into Mutual Recognition Arrangements to confer AEO status to qualifying businesses that are trading in their territories to ease entry into each other's markets."

Globally, there are 80 operational Authorized Economic Operator Programmes.

SACU's Executive Secretary Thabo Khasipe put emphasis on the accreditation and integration of various programmes among member states to eliminate obstacles to intra-SACU trade.

"If we can remove all these obstacles we reduce your costs of operations, we make sure that you become competitive in terms of the price so that you offer and competitive in terms of the quality because quality is sometimes caused by interruptions that happen in your value chains, particularly the ones at customs."

The Uptake of the programme though is slow.

NamRA's Commissioner Sam Shivute encouraged Namibian businesses to tap into the benefits offered such as a reduction on the bond amount of any security required for compliance with customs procedures.

"After you get these benefits, your business can only get better and once your business gets better then Namibian business will also get better because of your better contribution as well."