The first test of AfCFTA happens at the border. A trade agreement may establish preferential access between African economies, but businesses experience that agreement through customs procedures, documentation requirements, inspections, clearance times, and the predictability of moving goods from one jurisdiction to another. Where these processes remain slow or fragmented, the economic benefits of tariff liberalisation can be significantly reduced.

For the CTA sector, the consequences can be particularly serious because textile and apparel manufacturing depends on the timely movement of inputs. A garment factory waiting for fabric, yarn, trims or packaging materials cannot compensate for a border delay by producing faster once the shipment arrives. A delayed shipment can disrupt production schedules, increase inventory requirements, tie up working capital and ultimately affect delivery commitments to buyers. The border therefore becomes part of the production system itself.

The AfCFTA framework already recognises this challenge. Its Trade Facilitation Annex calls for the simplification and harmonisation of trade procedures and seeks to expedite the movement, clearance and release of goods across borders. It also provides for measures such as advance rulings, risk management, single-window systems and greater use of electronic systems. The Customs Cooperation Annex similarly calls for cooperation among customs authorities and the development of interoperable customs clearance and information systems.

The challenge is therefore not just whether these mechanisms exist in the legal framework, but whether they are functioning consistently enough to change the experience of businesses. UN Trade and Development’s 2026 assessment of National Trade Facilitation Committees is instructive; in 89% of assessed cases, official notifications did not fully reflect national implementation realities, while monitoring and evaluation remained significant capacity gaps. This suggests that reported implementation can sometimes appear more advanced than what traders actually experience at borders, ports and trade corridors.

For African policymakers, this means that customs reform should be measured through operational outcomes. How long does clearance take? How many documents are required? How frequently are shipments physically inspected? How predictable is the process? How many agencies interact with the same shipment? And how much does the process add to the cost of doing business?

For the CTA industry, AfCFTA preferences must be supported by customs systems capable of moving textile inputs and finished products quickly, predictably, and at competitive cost.

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