The Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, and the Executive Secretary of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Ms. Paulina M. Elago, signed on Monday 05 March 2018 a Cooperation Framework Agreement for the Implementation of the WCO-SACU Connect Project at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels to enhance cooperation based on mutual support.

The signature of the Cooperation Framework Agreement builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concluded between the WCO and SACU on 27 September 2010 to promote close cooperation and consultation on matters of common interest; and on the fruitful relationship established in the framework of the WCO-SACU Connect Project financed by Sweden.

The WCO-SACU Connect Project, through its Phase I (2008-2012) and Phase II (2014-2018), dedicates to enhancing regional integration and trade facilitation, covering the areas of Customs Legislation, Risk Management and Enforcement, Trade Partnerships, and IT Connectivity. The Project has, among other results, effectively contributed to establish a regional IT Connectivity and information exchange framework; to enhance engagement between Customs and the trading community; and to establish a regional Preferred Trader Programme (PTP).

With the purpose of defining the roles and responsibilities of the Parties regarding the project management and the coordination of the activities under the WCO-SACU Connect Project, the signature of the Cooperation Framework Agreement between the WCO and SACU reaffirms the longstanding cooperation between the two organizations and reinforces this strategic partnership.