To support Malawi’s commitment to modernize and reform their Customs Administration under the Mercator Programme, the WCO completed a Risk Management diagnostic in Blantyre on the 11-15th of September 2017. The main objectives of this mission were to review the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA)’s current procedures in the area of Risk Management, identify gaps and develop recommendations for forward reform and modernization activities to support the implementation of Article 7.4 of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA).  The mission was conducted under the framework of the tailor made track of the WCO Mercator Programme, and based on recommendations outlined in Malawi’s Mercator Implementation Plan, established in April 2017.

Through informed and collaborative discussions with the senior management, group leaders and field officers, the MRA’s Risk Management Policy, Strategy and entire infrastructure was reviewed and proposals were made for forward improvements in different areas.

Furthermore, as a result of the mission, the different units of the MRA increased their knowledge on how to develop risk profiles using archived data, establishing intelligence units and strengthening Risk Management processes in line with international standards and best practices, in particular the TFA.  A detailed diagnostic report further specifying the proposals from the 2017 Mercator Plan were presented to the senior team of the MRA. 

The mission was jointly funded by the Government of the United Kingdom through Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Government of Finland. The WCO looks forward to continuing its collaboration with Malawi in line with the tailor-made track of the Mercator Programme.