Even well-designed Rules of Origin will have limited impact if manufacturers struggle to prove that their products qualify. This introduces the cost of demonstrating origin as a second dimension to origin policy:

Origin compliance can involve production records, supplier information, customs documentation, certificates, declarations, and evidence supporting the originating status of materials. For a large multinational manufacturer with sophisticated enterprise systems, maintaining this information may be manageable. For a small or medium-sized African manufacturer sourcing from several suppliers across multiple countries, it can be considerably more difficult.

With an objective to reduce the transaction cost of determining, documenting, and verifying origin, digitalisation could change that imbalance. Imagine a digital system in which a manufacturer can maintain a structured bill of materials showing inputs, suppliers, Country of origin, HS classification, value, processing stage, and supporting document; that information could potentially be connected to customs and certification systems.

An exporter could then determine more efficiently which inputs are originating and non-originating; what transformation has occurred, whether the product satisfies the applicable rule, what evidence is required, and what documentation must accompany the shipment.

The broader AfCFTA architecture already recognizes the importance of electronic trade processes, while the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol also emphasizes interoperable systems, common standards, and a predictable digital trade ecosystem. Origin administration can therefore become part of this wider digital trade infrastructure.

There is already movement internationally in this direction. In 2025, the World Customs Organization released an Interconnectivity Framework for Certificates of Origin, designed to support standards-based electronic exchange of origin information between issuing authorities and customs administrations.

However, technology alone will not solve the problem. Digital systems need common data standards, interoperable platforms, capable institutions, reliable business records, and clear legal recognition. The objective should therefore be a digital origin ecosystem, not just an electronic certificate.

For the CTA sector, this could become especially valuable as regional production chains become more complex. The more countries, suppliers, and production stages involved in a garment, the more important it becomes to have reliable ways of tracing the inputs and proving the transformation.

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