The World Customs Organization (WCO) conducted a workshop in Antananarivo, Madagascar, from 25 to 29 September 2023 to support Madagascar Customs in implementing the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) Article 7.8 and the WCO Immediate Release Guidelines, with the objective to also strengthen systems and procedures for electronic commerce (eCommerce). The workshop took place under the aegis of the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, funded by the United Kingdom’s His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and is part of its multi-year partnership with Madagascar since 2021.
During the opening ceremony, the Director of External Services, Mr. Soja Christophe Randriamanantena, expressed his appreciation for the technical assistance rendered in this vital trade area, which has become a more central topic for Customs in recent years. He also noted the importance of the workshop for the future endeavors of Customs in its efforts to digitalize cross-border trade.
Twenty-six participants, representing different border agencies, Customs work areas and key private sector stakeholders joined the workshop. These representatives had already participated in preparatory sessions conducted virtually in the preceding weeks. During the workshop, the participants conducted a gap analysis to better understand the challenges the different actors currently face regarding Expedited Shipments and implementing the WCO’s Immediate Release Guidelines. An initial analysis conducted by Customs in 2017 was taken as a starting point. In order to achieve this, a National Working Group on Expedited Shipments was created, which will report its findings to the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC). The participants also committed to drafting an implementation plan.
During a visit to the Ivato International Airport, participants were able to observe operations and identify the current systems and procedures. In this context, they were also able to compare their national approach to the best practice approach as stipulated in the WCO Immediate Release Guidelines and in the WTO TFA Article 7.8.
The findings of the workshop were presented to the Acting Director General of Customs, Mr. Augustin Herilala Randrianoely, as well as to Directors of the border agencies and private sector representatives. The Acting Director General underlined the importance of the technical support in order to implement the new strategies of Customs and to drive the modernization process forward. He also highlighted the need for advanced digitalization to benefit Madagascar and identified Expedited Shipments as a frontrunner in this plan. The workshop was seen as an opportunity for knowledge exchange between different stakeholders.
The WCO looks forward to continuing its partnership with Malagasy Customs under the "Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme" for sustainable development and economic growth.
For more information about WCO capacity building, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.