What is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)?
The AfCFTA is a continent-wide trade agreement meant to remove barriers to trade between African countries. For an importer or exporter, what matters is which of your goods get a lower duty when they move between two member states, and what you have to prove to get it.
What it is
According to the AfCFTA Secretariat's own website:
- It is one of the flagship projects of the African Union's Agenda 2063.
- It is a high-ambition agreement with a comprehensive scope that includes digital trade and investment protection.
- Its core objective is to eliminate trade barriers across Africa to boost trade within the continent.
- The Secretariat publishes the tariff concession schedules through the AfCFTA e-Tariff Book so that trade and customs authorities can apply the benefits.
Who is in it
Customs Declare's membership table lists 41 member states, with trading start recorded as 1 January 2021 or the state's later deposit date. States ratify over time, so the Secretariat's State Parties page is the authoritative and current list. Check it, and check with the importing customs authority, before you rely on AfCFTA treatment for a country we do not list.
What Customs Declare holds
Our preferential tariff data for the AfCFTA comes from the Secretariat's e-Tariff Book. As of our latest load it holds:
- 179,749 rate rows across 41 destination countries and 5,386 HS six-digit codes, based on the 2017 edition of the HS.
- Rates are stored per destination and product, not per exporting country.
- Most rows carry a 0% preferential rate (179,611 rows). The other 138 rows carry a rate of up to 25%.
- Most rows were refreshed on 2 August 2026, and each row keeps its source.
- Some countries' schedules come from a joint regional offer, such as the ECOWAS or EAC offer, rather than an individual filing, and are applied to each member from that joint offer.
What it does not yet cover
Our data on the AfCFTA rules of origin is limited: 320 rules, mostly wholly-obtained rules for a few agricultural chapters. So Customs Declare shows the AfCFTA rate where we hold one, but it cannot confirm that your goods meet the origin rule. Confirm origin against the Secretariat's published texts and with the importing customs authority, and do not assume a shipment qualifies just because a rate is listed.
Frequently asked questions
Does the AfCFTA replace regional agreements such as the EAC or ECOWAS?
Not automatically. Regional arrangements continue among their members, and a shipment can be eligible under more than one. You claim one at a time. The guide on finding the lowest duty explains how to compare them.
Where can I see the official tariff schedule?
In the AfCFTA e-Tariff Book, which the Secretariat publishes for trade and customs authorities. Customs Declare gives you the rate we hold with its source and date.
Is every product duty-free under the AfCFTA?
Not necessarily. Our rows show which tariff lines have a preferential rate and what it is. A small number carry a non-zero rate, and the schedule for your product and year controls, so check the line for your HS code.
Sources
Last verified: 2026-09-29
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