Despite COVID-19 constraints and as part of its ongoing support to Member administrations, the WCO conducted a virtual workshop on the topic of risk management for the Seychelles Revenue Commission from 14 to 16 July 2021.
The workshop, which had been long awaited by the Seychelles Customs Administration as a means of both identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the risk management system currently in place and improving its functionalities, came at an opportune time when Seychelles Customs are undergoing various reform and modernization programmes. The workshop was made possible with financial support provided under the WCO-ESA Finland Project.
The Commissioner of Customs warmly welcomed all participants and encouraged them to take an active part in the workshop, highlighting the importance of this type of activity for strengthening the capacities of Customs officers in intelligence-driven risk management. He also demonstrated his own high level of commitment through his personal participation and by appointing several Customs officers from the Commission’s headquarters and other supporting units to take part in the various sessions of this three-day event.
Senior managers of the risk assessment unit and of enforcement, seaport and airport operations actively participated in the process, encouraging their teams to take advantage of this opportunity and express their views openly and frankly.
The diagnostic team held several working sessions with the representatives of the Seychelles Revenue Commission in order to capture the essentials and provide them with a proposal for a comprehensive risk management methodology for their organization which would facilitate legitimate trade and increase the efficiency of Customs controls. The WCO experts also encouraged the participants to make use of the WCO Risk Management Compendium as well as other relevant WCO tools and instruments which are crucial for enabling Customs to achieve their strategic objectives, especially during this period of global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Seychelles Customs officials expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to participate in such a diagnostic exercise, the recommendations of which will be useful in modernizing their Customs administration systems and enhancing the application of risk management techniques in their daily duties. They also recognized the importance of WCO capacity building activities in the implementation of an intelligence-led risk management approach.