Following an invitation from the National Revenue Authority (NRA) of Sierra Leone, WCO successfully delivered a diagnostic evaluation of valuation, classification and origin controls in Freetown from 26 – 30 September 2016. The core objective of the mission was to support the NRA in building valuation capacity controls in keeping with Sierra Leone’s commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA). The mission was the second delivery under Sierra Leone’s Mercator Implementation Plan, which defines a Sierra Leone-specific programme of collaboration between the WCO and the NRA under the auspices of the tailor-made track of the WCO Mercator Programme. The mission was made possible with the generous financial support of the Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the United Kingdom as part of the HMRC-WCO-UNCTAD TFA Capacity Building Programme.
The mission consisted of bilateral meetings with key stakeholders from the NRA which helped the mission team to understand Sierra Leone’s current infrastructure and processes around valuation. NRA officials gained an increased knowledge and understanding of the WCO’s Revenue Package and related diagnostic tools, along with an improved perspective on emerging global issues in Customs valuation. In order to ensure coordination and collaboration, the mission team also met with other development partners, such as Adam Smith International and private sector stakeholders, such as the Association of Clearing and Forwarding Agencies.
The outcomes of this mission will be used to establish a specific roadmap for strengthening mechanisms relating to Customs valuation, classification and origin of goods in accordance with the WCO Revenue Package as part of building an efficient revenue management strategy. The WCO looks forward to continuing its collaboration with the NRA with further engagements along the tailor-made track of the Mercator Programme.