Between 12 and 16 November, the WCO conducted a train-the-trainers Workshop on Customs valuation for Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA) in Maseru, Lesotho.  The objective was to develop a group of trainers who could effectively deliver national Valuation training for Customs officials and the private sector.

The mission was made possible with the generous financial support of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the United Kingdom as part of the HMRC-WCO-UNCTAD Trade Facilitation Agreement Capacity Building Programme.

13 officials from LRA headquarters and local Customs stations participated in the Workshop.  The programme consisted of refresher sessions on the methodology of the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement, focusing in particular on the transaction value, and practical application of the Agreement, based on the WCO’s Revenue Package programme.  Also included were interactive sessions on trainer and facilitation skills.  Students were then given the opportunity to prepare and deliver individual sessions on valuation topics in order to gain experience of delivering valuation training in the classroom environment.

This mission is part of an ongoing WCO programme in Lesotho under the framework of the tailor-made track of the WCO Mercator Programme, specifically designed to support developing countries to implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement using the WCO’s extensive range of instruments and tools.