#Bahamas, April 5, 2018 – Nassau – The Bahamas Customs Department in conjunction with the World Customs Organization (WCO) have partnered to conduct a two-year training programme that was developed to enhance institutional knowledge and increase organisational capacity of the Customs Department.
Secretary General of the WCO, His Excellency Kunio Mikuriya was in The Bahamas at the launch of the training at the Customs Building, Thursday, March 22, 2018. His Excellency said The Bahamas Customs Dept. has embarked on customs reform and transformation and the WCO can help bring the department up to global standards.
“Nowadays, it has become very important to improve the business environment in each economy. They are in a way vying for economic competitiveness and quite often that competitiveness is measured at borders because all of the goods and service people, should cross borders, and this is where you need to get that competitiveness, and that is through Customs and other government agencies streamlining procedures but also gaining more efficiency and effectiveness.”
Comptroller of Customs, Dr. Geannine Moss said the training programme will integrate industry best practices and international standards.
“This is an important signal to the trading community that:
- One, the Customs Department is committed to the reform and modernisation of Customs operations and,
- Two, the Customs Department is at full throttle with the implementation of the Trade Sector Support Programme.”
She explained that in August 2012, The Bahamas Government entered into a $16.5 million loan agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which was labelled as the “Trade Sector Support Programme”.
“The overall objective of the programme was to improve the operational efficiency of the Customs Department and to assist in preparing the efficiency of The Bahamas Government for accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Bahamas Customs Department is the executing agency for this loan.”
Dr. Moss said the programme was launched in November 2013 and the Department is in the “programme action phase” where activities will have a real and quantifiable impact on Customs. The WCO training programme will be implemented under three components: organizational development, human resource development and training and governance.
She said the two-year training programme between the WCO and Customs will provide technical, specialised, executive and general training.
“During the remaining months of 2018, 12 training sessions relating to leadership management, WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, the Revised Kyoto Convention, Rules of Origin, Time Release Studies, Human Resource Support, WCO E-learning Platform, Nomenclature Classifications, Risk Management, WCO Data Model, Valuation and Performance Measurement.”
Dr. Moss said, “All of these subject areas constitute the life-blood of a modernised Customs Administration. Additionally, the aforementioned subject matter is crucial in the preparation and the roll out of the new operational environment relative to the Customs Electronic Single Window.”
She said during March 5-9, 2018, training on the WCO Data Model was conducted to assist with the Customs Electronic Single Window Project. Then the week March 19-23, 2018, officials from the WCO facilitated sessions under the Mercator Programme which seeks to assist WCO members in WTO preparation.
The Comptroller said it is envisaged that this investment in human resource and organisational development will yield benefits such as: ongoing learning, improved performance management, effective leadership development, institutional strengthening, creation of subject matter experts and continuous learning organisation.
She said Customs economic role was primarily viewed from a “tax collection” perspective; however, this is now evolved into that of a key partner for “Trade Facilitation”.
“The Economic Partnership Agreement and the Revised Kyoto Convention requires both the enhancement and advancement of the Customs organization to assist with international trade obligations, future trade relationships and on-going negotiations for membership to the WTO.”
Dr. Moss said, “We are confident that partnering with the WCO in strengthening our knowledge base will provide the requisite skills to function as a modern Customs administration.”
By: Llonella Gilbert (BIS)
Photo caption: The Bahamas Customs Department in conjunction with the World Customs Organization (WCO) have partnered to conduct a two-year training programme to enhance institutional knowledge and increase organisational capacity of the Customs Department. Secretary General of the WCO, His Excellency Kunio Mikuriya and Comptroller of Customs, Dr. Geannine Moss speak at a press conference on the programme at Customs, Thursday, March 22, 2018.
(BIS Photos/Raymond A. Bethel, Sr.)