From 17 to 20 July 2017, the Customs administration of Guinea Conakry hosted a national support mission in the framework of the WCO “Customs for Relief of Epidemic Diseases” (C-RED) Project. The overall goal of the project, which is funded by the Government of the Netherlands, is to assist Customs administrations in West and Central Africa to be better prepared to contain the effects of regional epidemics and natural disasters. The purpose of this four-day scoping mission was to assess the needs in terms of required national support in Guinea and capacity building in the area of Customs clearance of relief goods.

The WCO team was warmly welcomed by the Director General of Customs, General Toumany Sangaré. During the mission, senior-level managers from different governmental bodies were greatly involved (National Police, Gendarmerie, Civil Protection and National Agency for Sanitary Safety). The participants worked in break-out groups to analyze and review the Guinean legal framework, the emergency plan monitored by the National Agency for Sanitary Safety, and the customs procedures implemented in the fight against Ebola in 2014 and subsequent years.

The participants agreed on a coordinated approach in preparing and fighting against potential disasters that may affect the region.

WHO was also represented and provided an overview of their activities in Guinea.

Following the success of this first mission, it was agreed that a second mission with the same stakeholders would be hosted in order to finalize and agree upon national Standard Operating Procedures based on international best practices.

For more information, please contact the WCO C-RED Project manager, Ms. Eve Gérard (eve.gerard@wcoomd.org).