The WCO successfully concluded this year’s series of missions on implementation of the Harmonized System (HS) delivered for Member states of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). From 14 to 18 December 2020, a national workshop was conducted for the Customs administration of Equatorial Guinea, which was held in the country’s capital Malabo.
The workshop was organized in the context of the EU-WCO Programme for the HS in Africa and focused on the implementation of the latest version of the HS in Equatorial Guinea. Workshop participants discussed a wide range of aspects related to the national model of tariff classification work and related infrastructure, highlighting the significance of the country’s membership in the CEMAC and the importance of coordinated application of the CEMAC Common External Tariff (CET) by all Members.
The team of specialists in charge of amending the national tariff in Equatorial Guinea discussed the tariff management system currently in place at the national level and determined ways of optimizing it. These discussions were facilitated by tariff experts from Cameroun, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, as well as the Secretariats of the CEMAC and the WCO, who shared their insights and perspective, based on international standards and positive experience in the area of the HS work.
The workshop was held at an opportune time as Equatorial Guinea is soon to become a WCO Member. The EU-WCO HS-Africa Programme pledged its support to assist the country in the process of becoming a Contracting Party to one of the most successful WCO instruments – the HS Convention and provide the necessary assistance in enhancing the tariff classification work model and related infrastructure.
For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.