Columbus phase 2 mission to Sierra Leone
31 October – 4 November 2011
The co-operation between Sierra Leone and the WCO in the area of reform and modernization dates back already some years. The WCO, in agreement with Sierra Leone National Revenue Authority (NRA), had conducted a diagnostic mission (phase 1) in 2007 and a first Phase 2 mission in 2009 to elaborate an action plan focussing on training. To follow up the customs reform project of the NRA’s Customs and Excise Department (CED) a phase 2 follow-up mission has now been carried out in Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone, by Mr. Bernard Zbinden, WCO Regional Development Manager for Central and Western Africa, and Mr. Mario Caetano Joao from the Angolan Customs Administration.
The WCO delegation worked closely with CED managers in charge of managing the Customs reform. Special attention was paid to reviewing the CED mission which is still very much focussed on revenue collection but, as aimed for by the administration, should be amended to even better reflect the role of modern customs administrations in the 21st century. The institution’s vision, its corporate values and its organisational structure which need to be amended to enable the CED to fulfil its mission were assessed and interactive work sessions were held to improve participants’ capacities of modern management techniques.
The NRA is determined and willing to take ownership of the reform process. This WCO follow-up mission came at the right moment and was funded by the Eurocustoms allocation to the WCO.