On 12-17 March 2023, the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) welcomed WCO Anti-Corruption & Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme experts to promote the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme and to engage with the private sector and other stakeholders to identify common solutions to combat corruption and promote integrity.  

The TRA AEO programme started in 2008 and from 2019 onwards, gained more prominence. Yet, very few companies achieved accreditation, despite the TRA’s promotion efforts. A recently conducted WCO Mercator diagnostic assessment identified some areas of further improvement in the implementation of the AEO programme in Tanzania in line with international standards and best practices, including broader stakeholder awareness and sensitization, capacity building for AEO implementation and monitoring, and improving the framework for coordination and cooperation with operators and Other Government Departments (OGDs).

The A-CIP/TRA workshops in Dar es Salaam, Arusha & Mwanza aimed at promoting stakeholder awareness and sensitization, identifying areas for improving TRA relations with the private sector. During those meetings, the benefits that the programme currently offers and the requirements to be part of the initiative were discussed in detail. Participants shared their points of view and made suggestions for further progress in the implementation.

The WCO A-CIP Programme currently supports over 20 WCO Member administrations, with funding from Norad and Canada. For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.