Nairobi, 03-07 September 2012
During an intense week (03-07 September), the WCO Secretariat and the partner countries of the East African Community (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) conducted a workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. The workshop consisted of practical training on the topic of verification methodology related to the envisaged regional Authorized Economic Operator Programme in the region. This Programme will start with regional AEO pilot operations and is part of the wider WCO-EAC project, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, SIDA.
During the workshop, practical training was undertaken, based on information from the chosen pilot operators, their operations and business in combination with the chosen benefits. Defining objectives and understanding the business were the first areas that the workshop participants had a look at, while still keeping the individuality and characteristics of each economic operator in the focus. Identification of risks, risk assessment and risk treatment as well as detailed implementation steps were the next focus areas of the approach.
Naturally, the workshop did not go into the details of every single action during a fully fledged AEO verification process, but it developed the methodological approach. During the final assessment, participants expressed that they felt „already like auditors” and that their knowledge of the methodological approach would be a solid foundation for the work to come when launching the EAC AEO regional pilot.