On 18 October 2024, the World Customs Organization (WCO) announced that in preparation for its 2025 upgrade of the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) ASYCUDA World Risk Management Module. The ERS had welcomed the WCO risk management experts to help strengthen its risk management processes for enhanced compliance management and boost hit rates for Customs control activities. As part of a blended capacity-building approach, an in-country workshop took place from 22 to 27 September 2024 at the ERS headquarters in Mbabane, Eswatini. The support is part of the multi-year strategic partnership under the WCO’s Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, financially supported by the United Kingdom’s His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), for the effective implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
The workshop was a follow-up activity building on a 2022 benchmarking visit of ERS to the Uganda Revenue Authority. The discussions focused on addressing existing gaps in risk management practices and providing participants with a better understanding of the WCO’s Risk Management Intelligence programme, including using data analytics for risk assessment, profiling, and targeting. The workshop brought together a cross-section of participants, including Customs officers from the Post Clearance Audit (PCA) Unit, Frontline Operations, Intelligence, Enforcement, and the Internal Revenue Department, to explore further enhancing risk management practices and tools in ERS.
At the opening ceremony, the ERS Commissioner General underscored the importance of Risk Management in enhancing optimal revenue assurance, protecting society, and facilitating seamless trade for the clearance of legitimate goods. He expressed his gratitude to the WCO Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme. He reaffirmed ERS’s commitment to embracing advanced risk management methodologies aligned with international best practices.
During the week, facilitated by WCO Risk Management experts from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the Nigeria Customs Service, the ERS Risk Management team presented their current risk management framework, processes and challenges. This resulted in open dialogues on information exchange challenges with the Risk Management Unit and other ERS units. The WCO team also highlighted the importance of modern data analytics techniques. The participants engaged in practical demonstrations of data analysis. They explored the use of interactive dashboards for WCO Customs Enforcement Network (CEN) trend and pattern analysis for compliance management and Customs targeting. The mission's outcomes include pragmatic recommendations for improvement. At the same time, further outcomes will be achieved from follow-up virtual sessions to enhance ERS’s risk management tools.
The WCO Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme looks forward to continuing its partnership with ERS for sustainable Customs and border reforms.