With sponsorship from the Japanese Customs Cooperation Fund, a WCO Revenue Package National Workshop for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on the setting up of an HS unit to take over classification work from private inspection companies was held in Accra, Ghana, from 15 to 19 June 2015. Taking ownership of the tariff classification is a part of the GRA Customs strategic plan for 2015-2018 and scheduled for implementation beginning September 2015.

The importance of this workshop for the GRA was demonstrated by a personal attendance of the Commissioner of the Customs Division of GRA, Mr. Wallace Akondor, who highlighted that setting up a stable organizational structure, applying modern classification tools and deploying professional managers and officers managing HS are essential for realizing the GRA’s challenge to take ownership of the tariff classification that has been outsourced by the Government to an inspection company for ensuring proper revenue collection. He expressed his sincere thanks to Japan Customs for its financial support and the representatives of the WCO Secretariat for supporting the GRA in this difficult task.

The representatives of the WCO emphasised the importance of establishing a well-organized classification infrastructure and introducing well-defined and effective classification practices, including setting up an HS unit and an advance ruling system, to achieve the GRA Customs’ expected goals in a steady and sustainable manner as well as to facilitate international trade.

Almost 40 Senior and middle level managers, including members of the Customs Modernization Project Team, were engaged by the WCO workshop in fruitful dialogues and presentations, which focused on the theoretical and practical understanding and implementation of new WCO materials developed under the WCO Revenue Package Phase II, such as the Guidelines on Customs Infrastructure for Tariff Classification, Origin and Valuation, the Technical Guidelines on Advance Rulings for Classification, Origin and Valuation, and the Diagnostic Tool on Tariff Classification, Valuation and Origin Work and Related Infrastructure.

The participants were also thoroughly informed about the HS Convention, the fundamental principles of the General Interpretative Rules and the HS tools assisting HS users with classifying goods in the HS Nomenclature.