The African Customs Policy Network has embarked on a crucial mission to develop a comprehensive strategy that will set the tone for its future operations.
The team responsible for drafting the strategy is comprised of experts from twelve African Union Member States, with a deliberate effort made to ensure that the team is representative of the region’s linguistic, gender, and regional diversity. With members hailing from Eastern, Southern, and Western Africa, the team comprises individuals with extensive backgrounds in customs and revenue policy and administration, international trade law and economics, as well as customs, international trade, border management training, research, and consultancy.
The African Customs Policy Network is a critical entity within the African Union that has the mandate of facilitating trade across the continent while at the same time ensuring that customs regulations are enforced. This mandate is essential, given that the African Union has set out an ambitious goal of creating a single continental market that will enable the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital across the continent. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive strategy that takes into account the unique challenges faced by different regions and countries is necessary.
The team responsible for developing the strategy has made a concerted effort to ensure that it is representative of the continent’s diverse population. The team comprises individuals from countries that use French and Portuguese as their official languages, including Burundi, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, and Mozambique.
Furthermore, the team’s gender balance is impressive, with women making up the majority of members. This diversity is essential, as it will bring a range of perspectives and experiences to the table, enabling the team to develop a strategy that takes into account the unique challenges faced by different regions and countries.
The team’s expertise is also diverse, with members drawn from different fields, including customs and revenue policy and administration, international trade law and economics, and customs, international trade, border management training, research, and consultancy. This diversity of expertise is essential, as it ensures that the strategy developed takes into account different aspects of customs regulation, trade facilitation, and border management.
The Inception Report developed under the guidance of Project Manager Creck Buyonge MIRITO and Deputy Project Manager Ms. Makali LEPHOLISA will be presented to a joint meeting of the African Customs Policy Network Board of Directors and the African Customs Council of Elders on Thursday, April 13, 2023. This report is expected to set out the team’s preliminary findings, highlight the challenges encountered during the research process, and outline the steps the team will take to develop the strategy further.
The African Customs Policy Network’s strategy is essential in facilitating trade across the continent and achieving the African Union’s ambitious goal of creating a single continental market. The team responsible for developing the strategy is diverse and comprises individuals with extensive expertise in different fields. Their Inception Report is expected to set out the direction for the strategy and enable the African Customs Policy Network to achieve its mandate of facilitating trade and enforcing customs regulations across the continent.