Implementing the TFA: Trade Facilitation Activities in Zambia

This research paper examines the implementation of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in Africa, using Zambia as a primary case study. It analyzes the benefits of trade facilitation for landlocked lower-middle-income countries, the role of the TFA Facility and donor assistance, and the specific challenges and successes of trade facilitation reforms at four of Zambia's strategic border posts.

• The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), which entered into force on 22 February 2017, aims to expedite the movement, release, and clearance of goods through simplification, harmonisation, and transparency.
• Implementing the TFA offers significant economic potential for African nations; specifically, least developed countries (LDCs) could see export increases of up to 35%, while developing countries could see export growth of 3.5% and diversification of up to 20%.
• African countries face severe systemic hurdles in trade facilitation, with 16 landlocked African countries averaging 20 to 30 steps, 40 documents, and 200 data elements per customs transaction, often requiring the re-keying of 60% to 70% of data.
• The TFA's Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) provisions allow developing countries to categorize commitments into Category A (immediate implementation), Category B (after a transitional period), and Category C (requiring donor assistance for capacity building).
• The TFA Facility, capitalized in 2015 with CHF 54 6.4 million, serves as a gap-bridging mechanism providing project preparation grants up to $30,000 and project implementation grants for soft infrastructure up to $200,000, though it is often a measure of last resort compared to bilateral aid.
• Zambia has demonstrated strong political will to transition from being 'landlocked' to 'land-linked,' aiming to become a trade hub for SADC and COMESA. It ratified the TFA in December 2015, though 65.1% of its notifications are Category C, indicating a high reliance on donor funding.
• Zambia's trade facilitation efforts are hindered by uneven ICT upgrades across government agencies, leading to inefficiencies such as the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) scanning trucks that already have pre-clearance.
• The Chirundu OSBP (Zambia-Zimbabwe) is cited as a model of donor coordination that initially reduced clearance times to a few hours, but has since regressed due to a lack of data-sharing, inadequate infrastructure for SMEs, and restrictive operating hours (closing at 6pm) to protect wildlife.
• The Kasumbalesa border (Zambia-DRC) is identified as the most problematic due to DRC political instability, arbitrary payments fueling corruption, and a lack of shared ICT infrastructure, resulting in truck backlogs of 50km or more.
• The Kazungula OSBP (Zambia-Botswana), scheduled to open in 2020, involved a complex bridge design stretching to 923 metres after Zimbabwe initially refused passage through its territory.
• The Nakonde-Tunduma OSBP (Zambia-Tanzania) is criticized for prioritizing the launch of a pilot OSBP over necessary hard infrastructure improvements, such as roads that cannot support simultaneous imports and exports.

APA

Parshotam, A. (2019). Implementing the TFA: Trade Facilitation Activities in Zambia. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Occasional-Paper-298-parshotam.pdf

Chicago

Parshotam, Asmita. Implementing the TFA: Trade Facilitation Activities in Zambia. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2019. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Occasional-Paper-298-parshotam.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parshotam |first1=Asmita |title=Implementing the TFA: Trade Facilitation Activities in Zambia |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Occasional-Paper-298-parshotam.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parshotam2019implementing, author = {Parshotam, Asmita}, title = {{Implementing the TFA: Trade Facilitation Activities in Zambia}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Occasional-Paper-298-parshotam.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }