At the invitation of the Director General of Cameroon Customs, Mr. Edwin Nuvaga Fongod in his capacity as Vice-Chair of the West and Central Africa region, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya visited Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to attend the Regional Conference of Directors General of Customs of West and Central Africa, from 27 to 29 April 2016.

The meeting was opened by Côte d'Ivoire's Minister of the Budget, Mr. Abdourahmane Cisse.

The discussions centred on three major topics, namely Digital Customs including inter-connectivity in the region, security, and human resources, giving participants the opportunity to share experience and form a common strategy for the region with a view to enhancing cooperation.

The Director General of Customs of Côte d'Ivoire, Mr. Issa Coulibaly, was elected the next Vice-Chair of the region.

The Heads of Delegation met with the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire, Mr. Daniel Kablan Duncan, who appreciated the report by Secretary General Mikuriya, as well as the discussion with the Directors General of Customs of the region. He underlined the importance of investment in Customs as a means of making a considerable contribution to economic development and the protection of society from security threats.

All the participants thanked the Customs Administration of Côte d'Ivoire for its warm hospitality and the excellent organization of the meeting. At the close of the session, they visited the WCO's Regional Office for Capacity Building in Abidjan and were given a demonstration of the regional website.