Following a first workshop in March 2021 dedicated to stakeholder engagement and with, among the strategic priorities identified, a strong will to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation between the private sector and Customs, Mali's Directorate General of Customs (DGD) has this time invited Customs executives as well as representatives of the private sector and business community with the aim of intensifying its relations with its partners. Stakeholders and businesses were thus involved in the process of facilitating trade and optimizing the collection of duties and taxes in connection with the fight against corruption and the promotion of integrity.
From October 11 to 14, the WCO Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A-CPI) Programme created the conditions for a constructive exchange around two key themes: the draft framework instruction on the procedure for clearing goods through Customs in Mali, and the organization of a Customs-Private Sector forum on a national, regional and international scale on the occasion of International Customs Day next year. Mali's DGD partners and representatives of the private sector were also able to highlight the importance of establishing a shared calendar, as well as to plan useful and necessary meetings on a regular basis to develop a constructive dialogue process.
In collaboration with the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building for West and Central Africa, the workshop allowed more than 20 Malian Customs officers to learn about the importance of communicating regularly and effectively with all stakeholders in order to assess progress against commitments and maintain a high level of engagement. In particular, the activity enabled them to learn best practices for developing and updating an operational action plan for private sector relations, aligned with the Malian Customs Administration's strategy and based on a structured stakeholder mapping.
The WCO A-CIP Programme currently supports more than 20 countries in the five WCO regions, with funding from Norad and Canada. For more information, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org