Burkina Faso Directorate General of Customs (DGD) is preparing to resume its Customs functions, including Customs valuation, which had been outsourced by the government to a private inspection company.
To this end, it requested and obtained technical assistance from the World Customs Organization (WCO) to assess and build its capacities in terms of Customs valuation controls on imported goods.
The first stage of this WCO technical assistance has just been successfully carried out in Ouagadougou, from 22 to 25 November 2016, thanks in particular to Burkina Faso DGD’s smooth work organization and necessary logistical support. This first stage consisted of a diagnostic mission to assess the Customs valuation control system for imported goods used by Burkina Faso DGD, taking account of the prominent role played by the private inspection company prior to shipment and at the destination of the imported goods.
Besides leading working sessions with managers and executives from the Headquarters Directorates concerned by Customs valuation matters, the experts conducting this mission visited a major operational service to meet DGD officials assigned to Customs offices, and to help them understand the current goods clearance and Customs valuation control practices. To round up this exercise, the experts also spoke to a number of economic operators in the private sector, in their capacity as Customs partners. These discussions were candid and productive.
The experts examined DGD’s proposals for resuming the outsourced functions, and encouraged both DGD and its private-sector partners to apply the provisions of the WTO Valuation Agreement using modern tools, such as risk management and post-clearance audit, as mentioned in the WCO Revenue Package.
The mission ended with a debriefing session held on the last day, during which the experts presented the Deputy Director General of Burkina Faso DGD and his associates with a summary report highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the system currently used for Customs valuation controls on imported goods and suggesting potential solutions and options for improving it.