The meeting was officially opened by Mr. Dicksons Kateshumbwa, WCO Council Chair and Commissioner of Customs, Uganda Revenue Authority who emphasized the significance of the AfCFTA as a game-changer in continental development and the central role played by Customs in its implementation. The decried the low levels of intra-African trade (15%) and underpinned the need for cooperation to lift African economies. The meeting is being held under the theme βThe Entry into Force of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) β Implications to African Customs Administrations.β and is expected to provide a platform for Heads of Customs β whose meeting comes on 19th and 20th September, also in Uganda, to discuss the operationalization of the AfCFTA. The experts are examining the works of various Customs Technical Working Groups over the last year, aimed at addressing the issues in the Trade Facilitation Cluster of the Action Plan on Boosting Intra- African Trade (BIAT) as well as consider the recommendations arising from the various expert groups established by the AU Sub β Committee of Directors General of Customs.
The meeting is attended by 71 participants from 23 Member countries (Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) as well as representatives from various international organizations; EAC, ECCAS, IGAD, UN β OCHA, UNCTAD, WCO, WCO ESA ROCB, ITC and Afrexim Bank.