As part of the ongoing Mercator programme assistance provided to the National Revenue Authority (NRA) of Sierra Leone to support the implementation of the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement, the WCO conducted a valuation mission in Freetown between 20 and 24 August. This mission was conducted in the framework of the HMRC-WCO-UNCTAD Programme, financially supported by the Government of the United Kingdom through Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

As part of this mission, a four-day workshop was conducted, designed to strengthen the technical valuation and training delivery skills of 15 NRA officials.  The workshop included a refresher on WTO Valuation methodology, a series of technical exercises and discussions on practical aspects of valuation control, based on the WCO’s Revenue Package. The workshop was opened by Ms. Lizbal Heroe, Assistant Commissioner, Central Services of the NRA and facilitated by two representatives of the WCO and a WCO-accredited Valuation expert from the Tanzania Revenue Authority. Previously WCO-trained trainers from the NRA were also given the opportunity to deliver certain part of the workshop as part of the mentoring process.

In addition, the mission included a meeting with development partners with permanent representation in Sierra Leone, including the UK funded Department for International Development (DfiD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The purpose of this meeting was to ensure coordinated and complementary efforts in the implementation of TFA related support in Sierra Leone and to avoid any type of duplications, an approach which is fully supported by the Management of the NRA.

This mission was delivered to support the implementation of Article 10.5 of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, which outlines the importance of terminating private sector inspection contracts and taking back control of core Customs functions, including Customs valuation and tariff classification. The WCO looks forward to continuing its collaboration with Sierra Leone in line with the tailor-made track of the Mercator Programme.