FAQs

It is Pan African trade portal that provides timely information, a knowledge zone, as well as trade management tools relating to the trade supply chains (Import, Export and Transit) in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA Countries. Documents, Licenses, Permits, Certificates, fees to be paid, estimated processing times and other relevant information required by the trading community in destination countries are made available to you online, to support your import and export activities anywhere, anytime, anyplace, significantly reducing the time and cost of doing your trade business.

The eTrade Hubs portal is provided by the ICC, UPS, TRALAC, West Blue Consulting partnership, as part of the mission to increase the participation of African businesses particularly women SMEs in the actualization of the AfCFTA, business scaling, export trade, inter regional trade and digitalization for trade facilitation. The portal is powered by West Blue Consulting and Global Trade Solution (GTS).

eTrade Hubs provides Trade management tools such as Tariff search, Tariff classification of goods, Duty Calculator as well a knowledge zone that gives a wide range of information on international trade including useful resources to equip traders with requisite skills in trade supply chain.

The Tariff and Trade information tool on the portal offers Tariff classification services to traders with intelligent search functions. With the known Tariff code of the good, the related tariff line, MFN duties, preferential rates of duties and all the detailed trade requirements can be accessed. Refer to the user manual on the portal for use of the tool.

The Duty estimator tool on the portal aids traders to calculate the specific amount of duty, levy, and taxes payable on an importation into Africa Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA countries. It is simple and user friendly. For further support on how it is used, you can make use of the user manual provided on the portal.

Registration is not required for the use of the portal tools and services for now. However registered users to the portal can subscribe to our publications and other materials. Also, events published or hosted by eTrade Hubs will required registration. Registered users to the portal can use the registration details for events registration.

Tariff codes are essentially the language of international trade. They are the numerical codes that describe “what” is being shipped to and from countries worldwide, and they form the basis upon which all modern customs management systems operate. The first 6 digits of the Tariff are used universally. Each country may then add to the original 6 to suit its own tariff and statistical needs, creating 8, 10, and sometimes 12-digit national codes.

Importers and exporters are legally required to declare their products to Customs by means of Tariff codes. Tariff classification determines a product’s rate of duty, its import and export admissibility, and whether it should be physically examined. In some countries, importers are required to report Tariff codes to Customs before their products are loaded for export.