At the invitation of the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr. Godfrey Statia, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya visited Georgetown, Guyana on 19 and 20 March 2018.

Following the WCO's Mercator Programme scoping mission which had just been completed in February, Secretary General Mikuriya had a high-level meeting with Commissioner General Statia and his management team to review the needs and priorities of the GRA.

In the past two years the GRA has embarked on a reform process and has re-engaged with the WCO.  It has already launched several initiatives including a migration to a new IT system and the establishment of a partnership with the business community.

With the assistance of the WCO, the GRA plans to adopt a strategic planning approach which will further involve its employees, thus creating a sense of ownership, and focus on human resource development in the area of risk management and Customs techniques such as classification, valuation and post clearance audit.

During his visit, Dr. Mikuriya also had an opportunity to view GRA operations at wharfs and meet Customs officials during training sessions. Through the on-the-ground operations, he was able to observe Guyana Customs management’s commitment to modernize Customs and its officials’ interest in improving performance and reach higher level of professionalism.