Business Opportunities in the SADC Region

Last Updated: 23 November, 2021 - Print

How many countries are members of the SADC?

SADC has currently 15 members of SADC, namely: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

What steps should a Malawian trader follow in order to benefit from the SADC Trade Agreement?

Any Malawi trader who wants to export under the SADC Trade Agreement is required to follow the rules of origin under SADC in order to benefit from the agreement.

If you want to export goods like Soya beans, tea, rice, curios, or cane chairs, to a member state under this trade agreement, you are required to use the SADC certificate of origin to enjoy preferential rates of duty in the importing member state.

The certificate can be obtained from the Malawi Revenue Authority Customs Stations namely Blantyre Port, Lilongwe Port and Mzuzu Port at fee of MK50.00 per copy. The exporter is then required to complete the certificate and submit it to MRA together with export documents for processing.

 It is also important to know the goods that qualify under this agreement should be goods of Malawi origin.
If a Malawian trader wants to import goods into Malawi from any of the SADC member state, he should have a SADC certificate of origin certified by a competent authority of an exporting member state.