As a follow-up to the Global Dialogue on Customs Capacity Building Conference (London, 4-5 October 2008), the WCO Secretariat was requested to coordinate the establishment and drafting of guidance and standardized models on Leadership and Management Development for future and senior Customs managers in order to assist WCO Members in this area.

This first regional workshop on Leadership and Management Development took place in 1 – 12 March 2010 in Kenya. Ugandan Revenue Authority, the University of Canberra and Belastingsdienst of the Netherlands were able to agree to provide the facilitators for this event with 21 Senior Managers participating from the East and Southern African Region (Angola, Burundi, Malawi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Lesotho, Kenya, Comoros, Mozambique) and 2 observers from South-Africa and Cameroon.

The workshop was delivered in the premises of the RTC Mombasa over two working weeks as an interactive workshop. Sessions took a variety of forms from presentations to case studies. The event was funded by CCF Japan.

The participants were encouraged to consider the viability of using the program in a cross cultural and multi agency environment, especially where there were issues related to regional co-operation or integration, to enhance its development potential.

The Workshop resulted in the production of three action plans applicable to a wide range of Customs Organizations and Revenue Authorities. The very positive contribution of the participants to the exchange of experience and ideas within the workshop provided an excellent starting point for networking between Senior Managers in the Region.

The WCO Management Development Programme will continue with more pilots and will be presented to the Capacity Building Committee in April 2010 with the aim of offering Management Development Packages to our Members to be used also in the WCO Fellowship Programme.

For more information please contact riitta.passi@wcoomd.org