S/C/N/ 1108  
 
14 September 2022 
(22-6780) Page: 1/3 
Council for Trade in Services  Original: English  
 
NOTIFICATION OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENT  
SADC PROTOCOL ON TRADE IN SERVICES  
 
1. Member(s) notifying:   
Seychelles  
2. Date of notification:   
12 September 2022  
3. Notification pursuant to  
[ ] Article XXIV:7(a) of GATT 1994  
[X] Article V:7(a) of GATS  
[ ] Paragraph 4(a) of the Enabling Clause  
4. Parties to the Agreement:   
Angola, Botswana, Union of Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, 
Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozam bique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United 
Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  
5. Date of signature:   
19 August 2012: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, 
Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia.  
19 September 2012: Botswana.  
18 August 2013: Zimbabwe.  
18 August 2015: Angola, South Africa.  
30 August 2016: Namibia.  
15 March 2017: Madagascar.  
6. Date(s) of entry into Force:   
13 January 2022  for Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, 
Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe .  
Ratification is pending for Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and United 
Republic of Tanzania plus the Union of Comoros . 
See Annex for specific dates of ratification.  
7. Brief description of the Agreement:   
The Southern African Development Community  (SADC) has 16 Member States : Angola, 
Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, 
Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Afr ica, Tanzania, Zambia and 
Zimbabwe . 
The SADC Protocol on Trade in Services  was concluded at the 32nd SADC Summit held in 
Maputo, Mozambique on 18 August  2012. It was signed by all 16 SADC Member States  S/C/N/ 1108 
 
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  and has entered into force for 11 Member States  on 13 January 2022, in accordance with 
Article 30 of the Protocol . 
The Protocol provides the framework for a preferential trade agreement covering all 
commercial and tradable services in any services sector.  It aims to encourage increased 
intra-regional trade in  services through the gradual removal of unnecessary or 
overburdensome regulation affecting the cross -border supply of services within the SADC 
region.   
The sectoral commitments, and any limitations thereto, are set out in national lists of 
commitments for sectors that have been subject to negotiations. The first round of such 
sectoral negotiations was concluded in 2019 covering communication, financial, t ourism, 
transport, construction and energy -related services. A second round of negotiations was 
approved by SADC Trade Ministers in 2021, covering regional trade in the remaining 
sectors, namely: business services; distribution; educational, health and soc ial services; 
environmental services; and recreational, cultural and sporting services.  
 
The Protocol also includes an Annex on dispute settlement and sectoral Annexes  building 
on experience in the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as other preferential or 
regional trade agreements covering trade in services.  
 
8. Text and related schedules, annexes and protocols are:  
[X] submitted to the WTO Secretariat (electronic format)  
[X] available from the following official Internet link(s):  
https://www.sadc.int/sites/default/files/2022 -01/SADC_Protocol_on_trade_in_servic es_-
English.pdf  
 
 
  S/C/N/ 1108 
 
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ANNEX  
STATUS OF SADC MEMBER STATES ' SIGNATURES AND RATIFICATION  
AS AT 13 JANUARY 2022  
 
 
No.  
Member State  Open for  
(or date of)  
Signature   
Ratification  
1 Angola  18/08/2015   
2 Botswana  19/09/2012  20/09/2013  
3 Union Of Comoros    
4 Democratic Republic of 
Congo  19/08/2012   
5 Eswatini  19/08/2012  08/09/2016  
6 Lesotho  19/08/2012  07/10/2016  
7 Madagascar  15/03/2017   
8 Malawi  19/08/2012  13/12/2021  
9 Mauritius  19/08/2012  23/09/2015  
10 Mozambique  19/08/2012  12/12/2014  
11 Namibia  30/08/2016  15/06/2020  
12 Seychelles  19/08/2012  23/08/2016  
13 South Africa  18/08/2015  24/02/2014  
14 United Republic of Tanzania  19/08/2012   
15 Zambia  19/08/2012  15/12/2020  
16 Zimbabwe  18/08/2013  17/06/2021  
 
 
 
 
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