Trade · Agreements

The agreements behind SADC trade

Which of the 16 countries are in SACU, the SADC and COMESA free trade areas, the EAC, the Tripartite FTA and the African Continental Free Trade Area, and which have preferential access to Europe, the UK, the US and China. Each entry names its source; checked 12 Oct 2026.

Who is in what

Hover a cell for what it means

	Southern Africa		Regional blocs				Africa-wide	Access to markets outside Africa
Country	SACU	CMA	SADC FTA	COMESA FTA	EAC	Tripartite FTA	AfCFTA	EU-SADC EPA	EU-ESA EPA	SACUM-UK EPA	ESA-UK EPA	EU EBA	UK DCTS	China zero tariffs
Angola	–	–	Joining	–	–	Ratified	Ratified	–	–	–	–	Covered	Covered	Covered
Botswana	In	–	In	–	–	Ratified	Ratified	In	–	In	–	–	–	Covered
Comoros	–	–	–	In	–	–	Ratified	–	In	–	–	Covered	Covered	Covered
DRC	–	–	–	In	In	–	Ratified	–	–	–	–	Covered	Covered	Covered
Eswatini	In	In	In	–	–	Ratified	Ratified	In	–	In	–	–	–	–
Lesotho	In	In	In	–	–	Ratified	Ratified	In	–	In	–	Covered	Covered	Covered
Madagascar	–	–	In	In	–	–	Ratified	–	In	–	In	Covered	Covered	Covered
Malawi	–	–	In	In	–	Ratified	Ratified	–	–	–	–	Covered	Covered	Covered
Mauritius	–	–	In	In	–	–	Trading	–	In	–	In	–	–	Covered
Mozambique	–	–	In	–	–	–	Ratified	In	–	In	–	Covered	Covered	Covered
Namibia	In	In	In	–	–	Ratified	Ratified	In	–	In	–	–	–	Covered
Seychelles	–	–	In	In	–	–	Ratified	–	In	–	In	–	–	Covered
South Africa	In	In	In	–	–	Ratified	Trading	In	–	In	–	–	–	Covered
Tanzania	–	–	In	–	In	–	Trading	–	–	–	–	Covered	Covered	Covered
Zambia	–	–	In	In	–	Ratified	Ratified	–	–	–	–	Covered	Covered	Covered
Zimbabwe	–	–	In	In	–	Ratified	Ratified	–	In	–	In	–	–	Covered

In: applying it. –: not a party. Ratified: has ratified (for the AfCFTA, deposited its instrument). Trading: already trading under it. Joining: accession agreed or under way. Covered: included in a one-way scheme. AGOA is left out of the grid because the US decides each year which countries qualify.

Southern Africa

Customs union

Southern African Customs Union

1910; current agreement signed 2002, in force 2004

The world's oldest customs union. Goods move between the five members without duties, and all five charge the same tariff on imports from outside. South Africa collects nearly all the customs and excise duty; the money goes into a common revenue pool that is shared by formula, and the shares paid to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia are a large part of their governments' income. SACU members also negotiate trade agreements together.

Revenue sharing: Customs duties are shared by each member's share of imports from other SACU members; excise duties (85% of them) by share of SACU GDP; a development component (15% of excise) goes mostly to the poorer members, by the inverse of GDP per person.

SADC members: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini

Trade between them: US$15.7bn in 2024, 9.3% of their exports (US$16.2bn in 2012).

Monetary union

Common Monetary Area

1986; current agreement 1992

Lesotho, Namibia and Eswatini peg their currencies one to one to the South African rand, which is legal tender in Lesotho and Namibia too. Botswana, the fifth SACU member, has its own currency, the pula.

SADC members: Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini

Trade between them: US$9.8bn in 2024, 6.0% of their exports (US$10.3bn in 2012).

Bank for International Settlements: Monetary policy in the Common Monetary Area (BIS Papers 17)

How the SACU revenue pool is shared

What each member received from the common pool, rand millions, 2010/11 to 2022/23

BotswanaNamibiaEswatiniLesothoSouth Africa

Source: South African Reserve Bank, Quarterly Bulletin September 2024, Box 3·dotzedw Insights Centre

South Africa's payments to the other four members

Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia together, rand billions, by South African fiscal year

Year	Payments	Status
2022/23	R43.7bn	outcome
2023/24	R79.8bn	outcome
2024/25	R89.9bn	outcome
2025/26	R73.6bn	revised estimate
2026/27	R78.4bn	medium-term estimate
2027/28	R87.7bn	medium-term estimate
2028/29	R86.2bn	medium-term estimate

Estimates are South Africa's Treasury projections, published with the 2026 Budget.

Source: National Treasury, Budget Review 2026, Chapter 4, Table 4.2·dotzedw Insights Centre

Regional blocs

Free trade area

SADC Free Trade Area

2008 (Protocol on Trade, 2000)

Thirteen of the sixteen SADC members trade with each other largely free of duty under the SADC Protocol on Trade. SADC trade ministers approved Angola's accession in 2025 and its entry was expected in 2026; the DRC and Comoros have not joined. Goods must meet SADC rules of origin to qualify.

Angola began using the SADC electronic certificate of origin from January 2026 as it prepares to apply the FTA (reported).

SADC members: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Joining: Angola

Trade between them: US$41.9bn in 2024, 18.6% of their exports (US$30.4bn in 2012).

SADC: SADC making progress in implementing FTA, 2022-11-14
SADC: Angola finalises preparations to join the SADC Free Trade Area, 2025-02-28
CAJ News: Angola implements SADC electronic certificate of origin, 2025-11-05

Free trade area

COMESA Free Trade Area

2000

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa reaches from Egypt and Libya to Zimbabwe. Eight SADC members trade in its free trade area, which is how the DRC and Comoros, outside the SADC FTA, have duty-free access to several SADC neighbours. Eswatini is a COMESA member but, as part of SACU, is not in the FTA.

SADC members: Comoros, DRC, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Trade between them: US$3.1bn in 2024, 5.1% of their exports (US$3.1bn in 2012).

tralac: 16 countries now in COMESA Free Trade Area, 2016-05-03

Customs union and common market

East African Community

2000 (customs union 2005)

Tanzania is a founding member of the EAC customs union, and the DRC joined the community in 2022. Both are also in SADC, so their traders deal with two sets of rules and, for Tanzania, the EAC's common external tariff.

SADC members: Tanzania, DRC

Trade between them: US$320m in 2024, 0.8% of their exports (US$238m in 2013).

EAC: The Democratic Republic of the Congo finally becomes the 7th EAC Partner State, 2022-07-11

Free trade area

COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area

In force 25 July 2024

Joins the three regional blocs into one free trade area. It came into force on 25 July 2024 when the fourteenth country ratified it; nine of those fourteen are SADC members. Tariff schedules between the blocs are still being settled, so most trade continues under the older regional agreements.

SADC members: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Trade between them: US$28.5bn in 2024, 12.1% of their exports (US$28.6bn in 2012).

SADC: COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area to come into force on 25 July 2024, 2024-07-24

Africa-wide

Continental free trade area

African Continental Free Trade Area

In force 30 May 2019

All sixteen SADC members have ratified the agreement; by March 2026, 50 of the 54 signatories had. Trade under its tariff schedules has started only in part: South Africa, Mauritius and Tanzania are among the countries that traded under the Guided Trade Initiative, and South Africa has applied AfCFTA preferences since 31 January 2024, to the countries that have gazetted their schedules (25, counting SACU, by March 2026). Trade between members of the same regional bloc carries on under that bloc's rules: South Africa does not trade with SACU or SADC partners under the AfCFTA. The last rules of origin, for vehicles and for clothing and textiles, were adopted by early 2026.

SADC members: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, DRC, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Trade between them: US$47.5bn in 2024, 15.9% of their exports (US$38.3bn in 2012).

When each SADC member ratified the AfCFTA

Date each country deposited its instrument of ratification with the African Union

2 Jul 2018Eswatini · signed 21 Mar 2018
1 Feb 2019Namibia · signed 2 Jul 2018
10 Feb 2019South Africa · signed 2 Jul 2018Trading
24 May 2019Zimbabwe · signed 21 Mar 2018
7 Oct 2019Mauritius · signed 21 Mar 2018Trading
4 Nov 2020Angola · signed 21 Mar 2018
27 Nov 2020Lesotho · signed 2 Jul 2018
15 Jan 2021Malawi · signed 21 Mar 2018
5 Feb 2021Zambia · signed 10 Feb 2019
15 Sept 2021Seychelles · signed 21 Mar 2018
17 Jan 2022Tanzania · signed 21 Mar 2018Trading
23 Feb 2022DRC · signed 21 Mar 2018
19 Feb 2023Botswana · signed 10 Feb 2019
19 Feb 2023Comoros · signed 21 Mar 2018
5 Jul 2023Mozambique · signed 21 Mar 2018
Date not publishedMadagascar · signed 21 Mar 2018 · Listed as ratified by tralac, September 2026; deposit date not published in the AU list we use.

Source: African Union: List of countries which have signed, ratified or acceded to the AfCFTA Agreement; tralac: Status of AfCFTA ratification; tralac: AfCFTA frequently asked questions; South Africa, Department of Trade, Industry and Competition: Update on the AfCFTA, March 2026·dotzedw Insights Centre

Access to markets outside Africa

Trade agreement with the EU

EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement

Signed 10 June 2016; applied from 10 October 2016 (Mozambique from 4 February 2018)

Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and Namibia sell to the EU free of duty and quota; South Africa has wide but not complete access. Angola may join later.

SADC members: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique

European Commission, Access2Markets: EU-SADC EPA

Trade agreement with the EU

EU-Eastern and Southern Africa Economic Partnership Agreement

Applied from 14 May 2012 (Comoros from February 2019)

Duty-free, quota-free access to the EU for Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and Comoros. On 10 June 2026 the EU, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles concluded negotiations on a deeper agreement; Zimbabwe was not among them.

SADC members: Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Comoros

European Commission: Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA)

Trade agreement with the UK

SACU and Mozambique-UK Economic Partnership Agreement

Applies to trade from 1 January 2021

Carries the EU-SADC terms over to the UK: duty-free, quota-free access for all members except South Africa, which keeps its existing, wide access.

SADC members: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique

UK Government: Summary of the SACUM-UK EPA

Trade agreement with the UK

ESA-UK Economic Partnership Agreement

Applies to trade from 1 January 2021

Carries the EU-ESA terms over to the UK for Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe.

SADC members: Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe

UK Government: Summary of the ESA-UK EPA

One-way EU preferences

EU Everything But Arms

2001

Duty-free, quota-free access to the EU for everything except arms and ammunition, for the UN's least developed countries. Nine SADC members qualify; Lesotho, Madagascar and Mozambique also have EU trade agreements. A country loses it three years after it leaves the UN list.

SADC members: Angola, Comoros, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia

One-way UK preferences

UK Developing Countries Trading Scheme (Comprehensive Preferences)

19 June 2023

The UK's scheme for developing countries. Its top tier, Comprehensive Preferences, gives the least developed countries duty-free, quota-free access for everything except arms; the same nine SADC members qualify.

SADC members: Angola, Comoros, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia

UK Government: Preference tiers under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme, 2026-09-30

One-way US preferences

African Growth and Opportunity Act (United States)

2000; lapsed 30 September 2025; reauthorised February 2026, then extended to 31 December 2028

Duty-free access to the US for eligible countries, decided by the US each year. AGOA lapsed on 30 September 2025, was reauthorised on 3 February 2026 (backdated to the lapse) until 31 December 2026, and was then extended to 31 December 2028 by a US funding law signed on 2 September 2026. Which countries qualify is reviewed every year and can change at short notice, so check the current US list before relying on it.

One-way Chinese preferences

China zero-tariff treatment for Africa

Least developed countries from 1 December 2024; all 53 African partners from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2028

China removed tariffs on all goods from African least developed countries in December 2024 and extended zero tariffs to every African country it has diplomatic relations with from 1 May 2026. Eswatini, which recognises Taiwan, is the one SADC member left out.

SADC members covered: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Xinhua: China begins zero-tariff treatment for 53 African countries, 2026-05-01

Trade between members: exports between the SADC members of each agreement. This page describes agreements; it is not legal advice on the duty a shipment pays. Back to SADC trade