Lusaka, 18-20 November 2015

The WCO, in cooperation with the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) conducted a national workshop on enhancing the implementation of the SAFE Framework of Standards (FoS) and an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme in Lusaka, Zambia from 18 to 20 November 2015. The support was provided within the framework of the WCO - UK Department for International Development (DFID) Grant arrangement ‘to strengthen Customs systems in East and Southern Africa – phase 2’.

25 senior officials from the Customs Service division of the ZRA, other government agencies - namely, Ministry of Finance, Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority, Drug Enforcement Commission, Department of Immigration, Ministry of Agriculture and Zambia Bureau of Standards – attended the event. The level of participation reflected the importance and commitment that the ZRA and its stakeholders accord to this initiative. Discussions focused to a large extent on how the existing Customs Accredited Clients Programme (CACP) of ZRA could benefit further from also already existing "trusted trader" initiatives by other Zambian authorities. The aim was to avoid any duplications of these initiatives resulting in better resource utilization and more benefits for all traders and stakeholders.

Key achievements of the workshop among others included enhanced understanding of the SAFE FoS, Customs’ role in the supply chain security as well as in the facilitation of legitimate trade, a road map for the next steps including further work on Customs-Business partnership, stakeholder engagement, review and enhancement of the CACP programme, and a marketing strategy to increase the numbers of CACP participants. The Workshop was well received by participants and has widened their perspective for further developing and aligning their programme with the SAFE FoS.