The Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) is committed to promote a culture of integrity and to do so several internal communication mechanisms have already been put in place to raise staff’s awareness of integrity-related issues and disciplinary procedures based on the Code of Conduct. Encouraged by the good results achieved so far and aimed at reaching out to the wider trade community, RRA has requested the support of the WCO to design and implement a communication campaign on integrity that will target two audiences: RRA staff, and more specifically Customs staff, and the trade community.

To define the contents of the campaign and the communication tools that will be developed for the two audiences, an expert team from the WCO worked with a dedicated team of RRA staff for a whole week in Kigali, from March 18 to 22 2013. They produced a workplan for technical assistance that will be implemented over two years, thanks to a project funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the Customs Capacity Building for WCO Members (2012-2015).

WCO support will be aimed at training a selected group of Customs officials on defining a communication strategy to promote integrity that will, inter alia ensure that training courses for staff and awareness-raising campaigns for the public are implemented by RRA on a regular basis and through the appropriate media and communication products.

As part of a sound integrity strategy, the Revised Arusha Declaration recommends the use of automation for Customs operations in order to reduce risks associated to corruption. In line with this recommendation, in 2012 RRA launched the Rwanda Electronic Single Window, a facility that allows the trade community to lodge standardized information and documents at a single entry point to fulfill all regulatory requirements related to import, export and transit of goods. The system is expected to facilitate trade through improved transparency and accountability in the process of goods clearance. This initiative will certainly contribute to RRA’s integrity strategy.