Background
Warm greetings from the southern tip of Africa! Training of Customs Officials have gained momentum within the ESA Region. The South African RTC has been a hive of activity by hosting 158 delegates from various member states. Four training programs were hosted and delivered over the past six months to member states from the ESA Region and SACU (South African Customs Union).
WCO National Workshop on Accreditation of Risk Assessment: Pretoria
This workshop was held from 29 to 30 April 2013 and was related to the accreditation around Risk Assessment. The overall aim was to provide accreditation to the participants within this field. It was an intense workshop which resulted in having accredited facilitators to present Risk Assessment.
Preferred Trader Course: Pretoria
This programme was presented from 8 to 19 July 2013 and is part of an initiative to boost Customs compliance through the offering of a differentiated service. Importers and exporters that meet certain predefined criteria are awarded Preferred Trader status after which new Customs relationship management functions for such clients are created. These functions included the enhancement of service delivery as well as monitoring capabilities which ensures clients maintain the high standards of internal systems and compliance to Customs requirements.
SADC Customs Training of Trainer (ToT) Programme: Pretoria
The programme was held from 26 to 30 August 2013 and aimed primarily at facilitating the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Trade and provide technical and professional support to Customs Administrations. Member countries attending the course included Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Great focus was placed on facilitation skills with a view to assist participants in gaining the necessary skills and expertise to impart knowledge to member administrations as well as stakeholders in a effective and professional manner. A 5-year SADC training strategy supported by a 3-year training programme has been developed and adopted by member administrations. In attendance of this course was Mr Willie Shumba, a representative from the SADC Secretariat who was the guest speaker and provided insight to delegates regarding the programme. He also advised participants that the SADC wishes to create a pool of technical experts within the SADC Region to provide assistance to all member countries when the need was identified and assistance requested.
Transfer Pricing and Customs Valuation Workshop: Pretoria
A WCO/OECD Transfer Pricing and Valuation Workshop was held from 9 to 13 September 2013. This workshop was a joint initiative between the WCO and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The World Bank also formed part of the workshop by sending a facilitator. The expected outcomes of the workshop was to address the Customs Duty dimension of transfer pricing. The workshop made provision for revenue and tax administrations and economic operators in international trade to debate the issue with a view to exploring current gaps between direct and indirect taxation and related party valuation transactions.