Strengthening the Foundation for Korea’s Digital Customs Expansion in Africa
The Customs UNI-PASS International Agency (CUPIA) announced that it participated in the Implementation Agreement Signing Ceremony for the Korea–African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Cooperation Project, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 13, and has been selected as an implementing agency for the pilot project supported by the Korea–AfCFTA Cooperation Fund. This initiative aims to support Korean companies’ entry into African markets and contribute to advancing economic integration across the continent.
The ceremony was attended by AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, as well as representatives from the Korea–Africa Foundation, CUPIA, Korea Trade Network (KTNET), and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
Led by the African Union (AU), AfCFTA is a landmark regional economic integration initiative seeking to establish a unified African market and boost intra-African trade by progressively eliminating tariffs. The agreement entered into force in 2019, with official trading commencing in 2021.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established the Korea–AfCFTA Cooperation Fund to identify and promote collaborative projects that share Korea’s technological and institutional expertise with African countries. With the signing of this implementation agreement, CUPIA and the participating organizations will begin full-scale execution of the pilot project, applying Korea’s accumulated experience in digital customs and trade infrastructure to enhance the digital capabilities of AfCFTA member states.
To enhance the efficiency of fund operations, the Ministry plans to appoint a dedicated Korean project manager and further improve the fund management structure and mechanisms for identifying new initiatives.
Through this cooperation project, CUPIA aims to actively support the digital transformation of customs and single window systems across Africa and contribute to the global expansion of Korea’s digital trade infrastructure, including the UNI-PASS model.
