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First National Workshop on Coordinated Border Management Angola Customs Administration

13 enero 2015

Various enforcement agencies gathered on 19 November 2014 in Luanda, Angola to share their experiences of border protection activities in Angola as well as to strengthen cooperation between agencies as part of Coordinated Border Management (CBM) efforts.

Mr. Alcides Safeca, State Secretary for Budget, gave the opening address on behalf of the Minister of Finance and underlined the importance of cooperation between border agencies to prevent and fight illegal immigration, human trafficking and illicit trade in prohibited or restricted goods. In his words, "Angola’s prosperity is also supported by partnership with other countries, where respect and legal equality are mutually recognized by strong representations which make dialogue easier and ensure continuous cooperation".

In this framework, a World Customs Organization (WCO) representative was invited to present the CBM concept, including implementation methods and advantages together with international best practices.
Mr. François Remue gave the audience a clear view of the WCO’s role and efforts in this endeavour, aimed at facilitating the implementation of joint cooperation strategies by the Organization’s Members for improved control and facilitation at borders.

The following topics were presented and discussed during the Workshop:

  • CBM - Concept, methods, advantages and international instruments
  • Role and responsibility of the Financial and Customs Police Force in Customs processes
  • Economic offences at borders
  • Illegal immigration - Situation in terms of land borders
  • Investigation of crimes at border zones
  • Operations and actions to ensure border integrity
  • Role of the Angolan Institute of Industrial Property (IAPI) in combating counterfeiting in Angola

As Angola acknowledges the relevance of CBM, a National Coordination Commission was set up with the objective of implementing CBM principles. To that end, some benchmarking missions have been carried out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Namibia, with others being conducted at the border posts between South Africa and Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and Botswana and Namibia, this time in coordination with Namibia and the DRC.

CBM has been chosen as the WCO’s key theme for 2015 under the slogan "Coordinated Border Management - An inclusive approach for connecting stakeholders" and this Workshop clearly demonstrates the Angolan Government’s political will and commitment to implement the best international practices in this field.

Photos