Opening of the Regional Training Centre in Brazzaville

14 March 2011

Opening of the Regional Training Centre in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo

Brazzaville, 12 March 2011

Report

At the invitation of Director General Jean Alfred Onanga of Congolese Customs, the Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, was formally opened on 12 March 2011. This is the second RTC for the West and Central Africa region, the first having been inaugurated in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 2006. Directors General of Customs participating in the West and Central Africa regional meeting in Kinshasa crossed the Congo River to Brazzaville to attend the opening ceremony.

Secretary General Mikuriya met with the Congolese Minister of Finance, Mr. Gilbert Ondongo, who assured him of the necessary political support for the future development of the RTC. “The new RTC will be of considerable benefit for the region as a whole, and for Central Africa in particular, to help ensure that Customs operations are based on WCO tools that incorporate knowledge and best practice from around the world,” stated Secretary General Mikuriya. “The first regional seminar on HS 2012 and tariff management is scheduled to be held at the Brazzaville RTC in April 2011 which is an important event as the HS is considered the “common language” of international trade and can be regarded as an instrument which connects borders,” added the Secretary General.