The EAC Committee on Customs took place from 09 to 10 November 2017 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Since 2015, the WCO-EAC CREATe project, which aims at supporting the EAC region with the its regional AEO Programme, has been included in the EAC CoC as a standing agenda item. This inclusion in the EAC Reporting structure ensures that the WCO-EAC CREATe project is fully mainstreamed at the EAC level and this mainstreaming contributed to both the regional ownership and sustainability of the programme.

At the occasion of this meeting, the EAC Secretariat, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and the WCO reviewed the progress of the regional AEO programme in 2017 and agreed on the annual work plan for 2018. Highlights of 2017 included the growth of the regional AEO Programme, the development of the regional Customs Risk Management and the update of the regional PCA Manual. In the first ten months of 2017, the 46 regional AEO have accounted for a total amount of 3.9 Billion USD in terms of value of trade or approximately 6% of regional trade.

The 2018 roadmap will particularly focus on supporting the EAC region with increasing the number of regional AEOs, with the undertaking of Mutual Recognition Agreement efforts with other trading partners, with the establishment of a critical mass of regional experts able to undertake AEO Validation as well as with the preparation of the Global AEO Conference to be held in March 2018 in Kampala, Uganda. The Global AEO Conference will provide a fitting platform for the EAC region to showcase its regional AEO Programme.

For more information about this activity in particular and the WCO-EAC CREATe project in general, please contact the WCO-EAC CREATe Project Regional Project Manager, Mr. Martin Ojok (martin.ojok@wcoomd.org).