BY TSABEDZE KWANELE
MBABANE – The Kingdom of Eswatini is already piloting the program for local manufacturers and producers to get their goods officially certified as made in the SADC region. The program has been under pilot for the past 6 months by the Eswatini Revenue Services, and it is anticipated to grow now that the SADC certificate of origin can be applied for online.
The online extension of the SADC certificate of origin was implemented on the 7th of September, in a meeting held in Malawi.
Expanding on the program during Eswatini TV news today was Director of Communications at the ERS, Vusi Dlamini. He revealed that, “Previously we used to print the certificate for each batch of goods and send it by courier to the country receiving the goods. Now what will happen is that the system is electronic, which means that all the processes will happen on the system and there won’t be a need for printing. This means there won’t be a need for businesses under the programme to travel to seek the certificate – it will be generated through our ASYCUDA system and send it to the country which will be receiving the goods.”
Dlamini also advised businesses who want to enroll in the program to register in the ASYCUDA system. “First, they need to register that they produce goods which will be exported from Eswatini. Obviously we then do regulatory checks to make sure that the business is operating within the guidelines. Once they successfully register as an exporter, they are able to do everything within the ASYCUDA system without needing to visit our offices,” Dlamini added.
Other countries which have enacted the program include Zambia and Malawi.
