The Second Regional Conference of Donors in the WCO West and Central Africa (WCA) region was held in Lomé, Togo on 1 and 2 June 2017. It was attended by representatives of 20 Customs administrations from the region and by various development partners.  

The event was hosted by the Commissioner General of the Togo Revenue Authority, Mr. Kodjo Adedze, and chaired by the Director General of Côte d'Ivoire Customs, Mr. Pierre Da, in his capacity as Vice-Chair for the WCA region, with sponsorship from the Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF)/China.

In his opening speech, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya emphasized the crucial role played by Customs in facilitating and securing international trade in Africa and the ensuing importance of building Customs capability to develop and manage reliable projects for securing funding from development partners.  The Conference was officially opened by the Minister of Economy and Finance of Togo, Mr. Adji Oteth Ayassor.

The Conference reviewed the positive impact of the First Regional Conference of Donors, and participants learned about the activities and priorities of donors active in the region. Representatives of Customs administrations presented their regional and national priority projects. Turning to regional projects, they placed particular focus on transit interconnectivity, Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status, intelligence sharing via CEN/nCEN, security, and leadership and management development.

Donors expressed their appreciation for the presentations, suggesting ways forward and sharing their contact details to ensure follow-up.  These projects will made available on the regional website (www.omdaoc.org) in order to publicize them among a wider range of development partners.  

Secretary General Mikuriya valued the incubator function of the Conference and commended the growth in quality of the projects presented, some of which already enjoy good prospects for funding. The warm hospitality extended by Togo was also welcomed by all the participants.