Within the framework of the WCO’s capacity building programme and in partnership with the Uganda Revenue Authority, a technical dialogue on training strategy development was held in Kampala between September 10 and 17, 2013.

This dialogue provided an opportunity to further refine the Uganda Revenue Authority’s inaugural Learning and Development Strategy, which is expected to provide the framework for the sustainable and effective implementation of modernized Customs training approaches, including the WCO’s e-learning platform. It will also support the strategic integration of the East African Community’s regional Customs training standards, and allow for effective national-level implementation of said standards.

The later days of the dialogue also provided the opportunity to engage the neighboring administrations of Rwanda and Burundi, and to establish the foundations for modernized national-level training strategies in these administrations. Representatives from these two countries will return to their respective capitals and begin the drafting of their own training strategies with the ongoing technical support of the WCO.

The success of this dialogue has further helped the WCO to refine its generic approach to the development of national-level training strategies. As national training centers begin to play a key role in the implementation of regional training imperatives, it is critical that there is a clearly-defined national-level training delivery strategy.

This mission was made possible with the financial support of the World Bank through the Customs Capacity Enhancement in Sub Saharan Africa project.