From 13 to 16 May 2024, Djibouti hosted a national workshop aimed at updating the national customs tariff, in accordance with the current version of the Harmonized System (HS). Organised within the framework of the EU-WCO Programme on the Harmonized System in Africa (HS-Africa Program), this workshop, funded by the European Union, brought together around 15 customs officials from Djibouti and was led by experts from the World Customs Organization (WCO).

The main objective of this workshop was to raise awareness among the Customs Administration of Djibouti, Contracting Party to the HS Convention, of the importance of aligning the national customs tariff and statistical nomenclature with international standards. It was also a matter of supporting them in the work of updating this tariff. This workshop also made it possible to recall certain key concepts concerning the theoretical and practical aspects of the implementation of the HS 2022.

In his opening speech, the Secretary General of the Djibouti Ministry of the Budget, Mr. Simon MIBRATHU, thanked the WCO for its valuable assistance in updating the national tariff. He underlined the commitment of the Djibouti Customs Administration to align its customs instruments and tools with international standards, in particular those of the WCO, a global reference in customs matters.

He insisted on the importance of customs controls, in particular the verification of the classification of goods, which is an essential pillar for the recovery of customs revenue. These revenues represent a significant part of the state budget of Djibouti. Mr. MIBRATHU expressed his confidence in the cooperation with the WCO and the EU Programme, believing that it would be fruitful and conclusive. He assured that this mission will have a lasting impact, ensuring a timely transition to the next version of the HS, in line with the commitments made under the HS Convention.

The workshop, preceded by an analysis of Djibouti’s current national tariff via virtual meetings, began with a presentation from Djiboutian customs on the current state of their customs tariff. This presentation was followed by practical group work to develop a methodology taking into account the volume of work to be carried out and the commitments of the Djibouti Customs Administration as a Contracting Party to the HS Convention. The workshop facilitators provided detailed explanations on the main models to follow in order to align national tariffs with the current edition of the HS, namely the 2022 edition.

At the end of the workshop, the participants, with the support of WCO experts, managed to formulate concrete ideas to move forward in the updating process. They defined the approach to follow and established a detailed action plan, including the different stages of updating, verification and validation of the updated version of the Djibouti customs tariff according to HS 2022.

At the end of the mission, advisor Mr. Abdourahman Aouad IZZI expressed the satisfaction of the Director General of Customs, rejoicing at the results obtained. He congratulated the experts and participants for their commitment, efficiency and willingness to finalise the update as soon as possible. He recalled the importance of implementing HS amendments in time to facilitate trade and the collection of statistics. Finally, he thanked the WCO and the European Union for their continued support to African Customs Administrations, with a view to strengthening skills for effective and uniform application of the HS.

Thanks to the successful contribution of Djibouti Customs, WCO experts developed a work plan to further strengthen the HS skills of the Djibouti Customs Administration. This plan will be implemented by the HS-Africa Programme, funded by the European Union.

For further information, please contact wcoHSAfrica@wcoomd.org