29th February 2024
The ESA Regional Management Committee was held in Antananarivo, Madagascar, marking a significant moment for collaboration and decision-making.
Among the distinguished attendees are Mr. Vivekanand Ramburun from Mauritius, serving as the WCO ESA Vice Chair, and Mr. Lainkana Zafivanova Ernest, Director General of Madagascar Customs, our gracious hosts for this occasion. Joining them are esteemed MC members, Mr. Beyers Theron, Director of Customs Border Operations, Ports of Entry, and Customs Compliance from South Africa, Mr. Batsirai Chadzingwa, Commissioner of Customs from Zimbabwe, Ms. Ethel Chitanda, Chair of the Finance and Governance Committee, along with Mr. Larry Liza, Director, WCO ESA ROCB, to further enrich the committee’s discussions with their expertise and insights.
The WCO ESA Vice Chair, Mr. Vivekanand Ramburun, Mauritius, welcomed the delegates to Madagascar, and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Malagasy Customs for their unwavering support and warm hospitality. He expressed his confidence in the commitment of the Management Committee which is invaluable in steering our region towards excellence and achieving our strategic goal which is “To contribute to the economic growth of the Region in trade, security, societal protection and human capital development”. He pointed out the challenges faced by the region as concerns the efficient mobilization of revenue and fight against fiscal frauds, facilitate trade to boost up the economic growth trade in Africa and with the rest of the world and to fight against illicit trafficking of drugs and narcotics and arms and ammunitions to achieve societal peace. The Vice Chair encouraged Members to equip officers with the right skills to address these challenges and to continuously reform and modernize our administrations while paying due consideration to important issues such as Gender Inclusivity and Diversity, Digitalization, Safe and Inclusive working environment and so on among others.
