Following a remote virtual workshop in Project Management in 2021 to the Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL), the WCO successfully delivered a follow-up on-site workshop from 28 November to 2 December 2022. The workshop’s objective was to enhance participants’ knowledge of best practices and modern techniques in specific areas of Customs Project Management. The long-term goal is to strengthen the Customs administration’s capacities to effectively design and manage Customs reform and modernization initiatives. The workshop was supported by the WCO’s Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, funded by the United Kingdom’s HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Twelve Customs officials, seven men and five women, from various RSL departments, participated in this follow-up workshop, building on previous knowledge acquired during the remote engagement and the online e-learning course on Project Management. This approach has allowed the participants to achieve a more advanced understanding of Project Management concepts and the application of WCO-recommended practices and guidance in this area. In particular, the learners were able to develop project initiation documents related respectively to revenue collection (excise management), trade facilitation (bonded warehouses) and organizational development (competency-based human-resource management). As part of the workshop’s interactiveand holistic learning approach, the learners were able to present their work through a role-play on the last day of the workshop. This enabled them to hone their presentation and negotiation skills. Moreover, the course embedded gender and diversity and anti-corruption dimensions in its content and discussions.

RSL’s Commissioner Business Enablement, Ms. Mopeli, and Commissioner Operational Support, Mr. Mapetla, underlined their organization’s appreciation of the training delivered and highlighted the importance of this workshop for RSL, noting that RSL has embarked on an ambitious yet necessary transformation journey, which requires a critical mass of competent project managers.

The Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme looks forward to continuing to support RSL on its reform journey.

For more information on the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, please see here.

For more information on WCO capacity building, please contact Capacity.Building@wcoomd.org.