Trade Agreements

African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA)

The AFCFTA Agreement was signed in March 2018 and entered into force on 01^st January 2021.

The AFCFTA comprises of three protocols which pertain to Trade in Goods, Trade in Services and Rules and Procedures on the Settlement of Disputes.

Trade under the AfCFTA starts on 01 January 2021 among countries having submitted their market access offers and ratified the Agreement.

With regard to trade in goods, upon entry into force of the Agreement, Mauritius would benefit from preferential access on those products whereby the rules of origin exists.

In principle, countries and members of Customs Unions with which Mauritius can trade on preferential terms under the AfCFTA as from 1st January 2021 are namely Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo and Uganda.

The Agreement

1. Annex 1: AFCFTA Agreement Text
2. Annex 2: Compiled Annexes to the AFCFTA Agreement
3. Annex 3: Market Access offers of Member States/Customs Union:

• CEMAC
• EAC
• ECOWAS
• EGYPT
• MAURITIUS
• SACU
• Sao Tome and Principe

4. Annex IV: Agreed Rules of Origin

Exporting to AFCFTA Countries

Duty Free Access to AFCFTA Member states: Exports with countries with which Mauritius can trade on preferential terms under the AFCFTA are the countries listed above.

Rules of Origin: The Exporter must ensure that the products satisfy the Rules of Origin to benefit from duty-free access. The Rules of Origin are specific to products and can be viewed in the Annex IV on Agreed Rules of Origin.

Obtaining a AFCFTA Certificate of Origin: The AFCFTA Certificate of Origin (CoO) is issued and approved by Customs Department of the Mauritius Revenue Authority. More information on the AFCFTA CoO can be obtained from the Customs Department:

Mauritius Revenue Authority
Customs Department
Customs House
Mer Rouge
Port-Louis
Tel: (230) 202 0500
Fax: (230) 216 7784
Email: customs@mra.mu
Website: www.mra.mu

The online application for the AFCFTA CoO can be made via the TradeNet System.

Scanned copies of the following documents are required for obtaining the Certificate of Origin:

1. Export Declaration
2. Export Invoice
3. Documentary evidence for raw materialsused (such as Import Declaration, Purchase Receipts, etc)
4. Costing Certificate signed by a Certified Accountant (if applicable)
5. Any other relevant information as may be required by Customs

Importing from AFCFTA Countries

All imports entering Mauritius from a AFCFTA Member State with a valid Certificate of Origin are completely exempt from customs duties.

Reporting Non-Tariff Barriers 

NTBs refer to restrictions that result from prohibitions, conditions, or specific market requirements that make importation or exportation of products difficult and/or costly.

Operators can directly report any barriers to trade encountered in the AFCFTA region through the Continental online Mechanism for Non-Tariff Trade Barriers.  The system also allows for monitoring of the resolution of the complaint filed.

More information can be obtained on the Non-Tariff Trade Barriers Website.

Useful Links:

1. AFCFTA Website
2. The African Trade Observatory