At the invitation of Mr. Ibrahima Nour Addine DIAGNE, Chairman of the African Alliance for Electronic Commerce (AAEC), WCO Deputy Secretary General Sergio Mujica attended the 5th edition of the International Single Window Conference and Exhibition in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 5-7 September 2016. The Conference was organized by the AAEC in partnership with the Moroccan National Single Window "PORTANET", along with several public and private sector bodies, with the aim of improving the business climate and analysing the latest trends in electronic services to facilitate procedures and enhance competitiveness. The Conference was attended by over 30 international and regional organizations, 10 African Ministers, 40 exhibitors from many different sectors and over 500 delegates from more than 40 countries.

The agenda of the Conference was organized around the theme "Virtual Single Window of foreign trade: The requirement of an inclusive collaboration", and included topics very relevant for Customs, such as economic development, competitiveness, business climate, trade facilitation and international trade.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Abdelaziz RABBAH, Moroccan Minister of Equipment, Transport and Logistics highlighted the strategic importance of having a robust Single Window in place in order to facilitate legitimate trade and foster economic competitiveness. Mr. Zouhair CHORFI, Director General of Moroccan Customs, explained the key role of Customs in ensuring the success of a Single Window environment and shared some of the main activities carried out by the WCO in this regard when he was Chair of the WCO Council.

In his speech, Deputy Secretary General Mujica thanked the AAEC and PORTANET for organizing this important Conference, and described the main instruments and tools the WCO has developed to assist its Members to design and implement a successful national Single Window, including the WCO’s work in respect of capacity building. Mr. Mujica also explained the WCO Mercator Programme and how WCO activities in this area can support Members to fully implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.

During his visit to Morocco, Mr. Mujica also held a working meeting with Mr. Chorfi, Director General of Moroccan Customs, to discuss the main projects Moroccan Customs is working on to further enhance its reform and modernization efforts.