Under the auspices of the WCO/JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Joint Project, a national workshop for the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) on the development of Customs Risk Management (RM) Framework was organized in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 18-22 March 2019. The workshop was organized by the WCO and JICA under the Trade Facilitation and Border Control Project in East Africa to support TRA in enhancing its RM functions to meet the latest issues and challenges.
This is a follow-up activity on the recommendation made during the WCO/JICA joint risk management fact-finding mission to Tanzania in April 2018. During that mission, the team of experts held intensive discussions with both TRA management and operational staff with a view to further enhancing its Risk Management functions to ensure proper revenue collection, further trade facilitation and enhanced Customs controls. Developing a TRA Customs RM Framework was one of the major recommendations of the fact-finding mission in order to provide a clear direction and guidance to the Risk Management and Intelligence Unit to meet emerging issues and challenges affecting Customs both organizationally and operationally. Following this recommendation, the TRA initiated work to prepare the Framework including the establishment of the Task Team. In support of the follow-up activity, they requested the WCO and JICA to send experts to work with the new team to improve the draft Framework.
Sixteen (16) nominated Task Team members from different divisions/units of the TRA met with the experts from the WCO and JICA to review the initial draft Customs Risk Management Framework prepared by the Task Team. During the workshop, the Task Team members reviewed risk registers and the draft framework with guidance and advice from the experts. On the last day of the workshop, the results were reported to the Commissioner Customs.
The WCO and JICA commended the excellent work done by the Task Team members as well as the ownership of the objectives. It is expected that the draft Customs Risk Management Framework will be finalized soon and will contribute to a smooth and effective Customs risk management operation to meet the latest issues and challenges impacting the TRA.