Following an invitation from the Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Administration (ERCA), WCO successfully completed a four day needs assessment mission under the tailor-made track of the Mercator Programme (http://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/wco-implementing-the-wto-atf/mercator-programme.aspx) in partnership with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in Addis Ababa from 17-20 May 2016. The objective of the mission was to identify the country’s capacity building needs and priorities towards implementation the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA). The WCO mission took place in the framework of the HMRC-WCO-UNCTAD TFA Capacity Building Programme with the generous financial support of the Government of the United Kingdom through Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Underscoring the importance of the whole-of-government approach towards the implementation of the TFA, several individual and bilateral meetings including group discussions were held with key stakeholders of ERCA, as well as with the Ministry of Trade and the Maritime Affairs Authority. The mission included two multi-stakeholder workshops, one focused on the TFA as a whole and the other focused on transit, including the provisions of article 11 of the TFA. The workshops and meetings helped the mission team to build a comprehensive understanding of Ethiopia’s current level of compliance with the TFA. Since ERCA is in the processes of implementing the Single Window and acquiring a new electronic Customs, the team also met with the Single Window Project Team, supported by the Investment Climate Facility for Africa.

The mission resulted in a comprehensive assessment of Ethiopia’s current situation towards implementation of the provisions of the TFA The outcomes of this mission will be used to establish a joint forward plan for capacity building support, including a series of activities to be supported by the HMRC-WCO-UNCTAD TFA Capacity Building Programme under the framework of the tailor-made track of WCO’s Mercator Programme. The WCO is looking forward to further collaboration with the Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Administration.