Under the framework of the EU-WCO RoO Africa Programme, funded by the European Union, the World Customs Organization (WCO) held a national training of trainers workshop on Rules of Origin for the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA). The workshop was held in Windhoek, Namibia, from 7 to 11 April 2025 with the objective to assist Namibia in enhancing its knowledge and application of preferential Rules of Origin and contribute to a seamless implementation of the AfCFTA and other relevant FTAs.
The workshop was conducted as part of a comprehensive technical assistance and partnership with NamRA, including advance rulings, HS and origin, and builds on the acquis from intermediate and advanced trainings conducted since 2023. The support provided under the RoO Africa Programme allows for the deployment of all-inclusive and wide-ranging capacity building activities, to enhance the infrastructure and capacity of NamRA both on Rules of Origin and HS.
In her opening remarks, Ms Jacqueline S. Gawanas, Technical Service and Excise Management, expressed gratitude to the WCO and the EU for capacitating and supporting the administration in its key engagement to build a world class revenue agency. She indicated that the sensitisation efforts carried out with the assistance of the Programme had led to a significant increase in the number of approved exporters, and urged the participants to use the knowledge gained to help build the New Namibia.
The workshop provided participants with an opportunity to refine their knowledge of Rules of Origin, while also enhancing their skills in designing and delivering effective training sessions. The workshop offered the participants a unique opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of origin-related topics through group and individual presentations, incorporating facilitation and communication skills acquired from WCO experts.
At the conclusion of the workshop, the WCO experts offered constructive feedback to participants, highlighting areas for improvement and praising their success in applying newly acquired skills to develop training materials and deliver a training session. The newly trained experts will be deployed to provide continuous sustainable capacity building to other Customs officers as well as to private sector stakeholders to ensure that Namibia benefits to the maximum extent possible from the AfCFTA and other applicable free trade agreements.
On 7 April 2025, which also marked the 4th anniversary of the Agency, NamRA held the 2025 Taxpayers and Traders Appreciation Day, celebrating compliant Taxpayers and Traders who power the economy. The event saw the high-level participation of the Minister of Finance, Hon Ericah B. Shafudah, and the NamRA Commissioner, Mr Sam Shivute, among many others.
The EU-WCO RoO Africa Programme will continue its work with Namibia Customs to equip Customs officials and relevant stakeholders with extended knowledge for efficient implementation and application of Rules of Origin.
For further information please contact EU-WCORoOAfrica.Program@wcoomd.org.