In its continued drive to provide inclusiveness, support and opportunities for all Members, the WCO conducted a workshop to accredit French-speaking experts as Customs Modernization Advisors (CMAs) and Mercator Programme Advisors (MPAs) from 20 to 24 June 2016 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

The workshop was funded by the African Union and facilitated by WCO Secretariat experts. In attendance were 13 candidates that had been carefully preselected by the WCO. These candidates represented the Customs administrations of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, RD Congo, Guinea Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia.

At the end of this highly demanding workshop, seven candidates were short-listed and will be invited to take part in phase 2 of the programme which includes a mission, in a co-facilitator capacity, in order to complete their accreditation process.

The accreditation of these experts will enable the WCO to provide French-speaking Members with greater support for customs reform planning and, more specifically, for implementing the provisions of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) under the framework of the WCO Mercator Programme.