On 22 August, the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) participated as a panellist in an online side event titled “Deepening Regional Economic Integration, AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area) and Trade Facilitation in the Post-Covid era”, co-organised by the World Bank Group (WBG) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), in the context of the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad).
The Ticad is a summit-level international conference on African development, initiated by Japan in 1993. It is co-organised by the Government of Japan, the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Africa, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and the African Union Commission. The eighth conference, which was held on 27 and 28 August, revolved around three themes: achieving sustainable and inclusive growth with reduced economic inequalities, realising a sustainable and resilient society based on human security, and building sustainable peace and stability through supporting Africa’s own efforts.
The side event saw the participation of high-level representatives from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Jica, the AfCFTA Secretariat, as well as the private sector. The speakers discussed the successful realisation of the AfCFTA in the post-Covid era, as well as challenges, examples of efforts, potential solutions, and future directions for trade facilitation and border control in support of the AfCFTA. They also discussed strategies to find a common understanding and foster momentum for deepening regional integration.
The WCO Secretary General also talked about fragile borders and explained the need for the protection of Customs’ critical infrastructures from rebel/armed forces, as well as the importance of the incorporation of Customs administrations into the global intelligence community.
On the other hand, regarding regional integration, the WCO Secretary General mentioned that it started with the gradual reduction of Customs tariffs. He highlighted the support that the WCO provided in this regard. He added that transparency and predictability were essential for business and that the WCO was supporting advance ruling and Authorised Economic Operators’ programmes, among others, to foster customs-business partnership in respective countries.
In conclusion, the WCO Secretary General put a strong emphasis on the importance of capacity building for the implementation of international standards and the use of technologies. He mentioned the WCO’s efforts in developing a pool of Customs experts, in cooperation with Jica, in each area relating to the implementation of the AfCFTA. The experts will be expected to train other customs officers as well as private sector professionals.