Pan-African
When African members accepted the WTO border procedures agreement
Mauritius accepted the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement protocol on 5 March 2015. Chad and Rwanda accepted it on 22 February 2017, the day it entered into force. The WTO database records later acceptances through DR Congo on 11 July 2025.
Sources checked
- 27 November 2014WTO General Council
Protocol adopted and opened for acceptance Source 2
- 5 March 2015Mauritius
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 18 June 2015Botswana
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 6 August 2015Niger
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 1 October 2015Togo
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 8 December 2015Côte d’Ivoire
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
Show 40 more dates
- 10 December 2015Kenya
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 16 December 2015Zambia
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 4 January 2016Lesotho
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 11 January 2016Seychelles
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 20 January 2016Mali
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 20 June 2016Madagascar
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 24 August 2016Senegal
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 21 November 2016Eswatini
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 5 December 2016Gabon
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 4 January 2017Ghana
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 6 January 2017Mozambique
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 16 January 2017Nigeria
Instrument accepted before entry into force Source 1
- 22 February 2017Chad
Instrument accepted on the day of entry into force Source 1
- 22 February 2017Rwanda
Instrument accepted on the day of entry into force Source 1
- 22 February 2017Global entry into force
The WTO obtained enough acceptances for the agreement to enter into force Source 2
- 5 May 2017Sierra Leone
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 11 July 2017The Gambia
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 12 July 2017Malawi
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 5 October 2017Republic of the Congo
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 30 November 2017South Africa
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 11 January 2018Central African Republic
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 9 February 2018Namibia
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 5 March 2018Djibouti
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 28 March 2018Benin
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 27 June 2018Uganda
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 21 September 2018Burkina Faso
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 17 October 2018Zimbabwe
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 30 November 2018Cameroon
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 9 April 2019Angola
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 14 May 2019Morocco
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 24 June 2019Egypt
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 24 October 2019Guinea
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 12 December 2019Burundi
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 6 February 2020Cabo Verde
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 8 April 2020Tanzania
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 17 July 2020Tunisia
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 29 April 2021Liberia
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 20 September 2022Guinea-Bissau
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 21 August 2024Comoros
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
- 11 July 2025DR Congo
Instrument accepted after entry into force Source 1
Use the timeline selector to find a member and its date. The last column indicates where the event fell relative to entry into force.
Seventeen African acceptances preceded global entry into force
Mauritius was first in this group in March 2015. Botswana, Niger, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Zambia followed that year. Ghana, Mozambique and Nigeria accepted the protocol in January 2017, immediately before the month it took effect. Source 1
Chad and Rwanda were part of the day the threshold was reached
Chad and Rwanda joined Oman and Jordan in depositing instruments on 22 February 2017. Those acceptances brought the WTO past the required threshold of two thirds of its membership. The table marks that global milestone separately from each country’s deposit. Source 3
Acceptance continued well after the agreement took effect
South Africa deposited on 30 November 2017, Morocco on 14 May 2019 and Egypt on 24 June 2019. Guinea-Bissau followed in 2022, Comoros in 2024 and DR Congo in 2025. The dates track the multilateral instrument, which is distinct from regional free trade membership. Source 1
Implementation dates can differ by provision
The agreement addresses the release and clearance of goods, including transit, and cooperation among border authorities. Developing and least-developed members can notify different implementation schedules. Category C provisions require more time and capacity-building support. A country’s acceptance date alone cannot establish when each border procedure changed. Source 2 Source 4
Sources
- World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement Database, ratifications
- World Trade Organization Analytical Index, adoption, entry into force and treaty scope
- World Trade Organization Annual Report 2017, the February acceptance threshold
- World Trade Organization, Trade Facilitation Agreement and categories of implementation