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The Second Meeting of the ROCB WCA Customs Capacity Building Contact Points

10 October 2011
The Second Meeting of the ROCB WCA Customs Capacity Building Contact Points
 
26 to 30 September 2011

The Second Meeting of the ROCB WCA Customs Capacity Building Contact Points was held from 26 to 30 September 2011 at the Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.

This meeting forms part of the further implementation of the regionalization policy for Customs capacity building and modernization initiated by the World Customs Organization (WCO).

Financed by the Netherlands Fund in support of the Regional Office for Capacity Building for West and Central Africa (ROCB WCA), this meeting was organized in co-operation with the WCO Secretariat and with the support of the Republic of the Congo Customs Administration.

All the region’s Member administrations took part, with the exception of Cape Verde.

The meeting was also attended by Central AFRITAC (IMF), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and the European Union (EU) Delegation to the Republic of the Congo in their capacity as the regional structures invited.

  • The meeting outcomes were built around the following main topics:
    • In terms of the development of the capacity building process:

At the regional scale, the network of Contact Points has been strengthened, some activities carried out in support of Members and the progress assessed. In spite of this significant progress, many challenges remain.

At the national level, advances have occurred within the region’s Customs administrations, especially in terms of strategic planning following technical assistance provided by the WCO through the Columbus Programme and the support of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with AFRITAC.
 
    • In terms of the operation of the regional structures:

It was agreed to set up an Ad Hoc Committee tasked with considering the criteria and processes for evaluating regional structures.

With regard to the activities of the Regional Working Groups (RWGs), little progress was recorded, hence the initiative taken by the Vice-Chair to breathe new life into them.

    • In terms of inter-regional co-operation:

TheRegional Coaching Programme has been developed to promote regional co-operation in terms of modernization by sharing the best practices noted in the region.

    • In terms of partnership and financing

Partnership with the players providing technical assistance and financing is in keeping with the rationale of Customs reform and modernization, especially in the areas of training, regulations, interconnection of computer systems, institutional support and mobilization of technical and financial partners.

The next meeting of the Customs Capacity Building Contact Points will be held in Monrovia (Liberia) in September 2012.