Burundi Customs Develops National Framework for Risk Management Under WCO-EAC CREATe Project

A significant milestone has been achieved in Burundi’s trade facilitation efforts with the development of a national framework for risk management in Burundi Customs under the World Customs Organization (WCO)-East African Community (EAC) CREATe Project, financed by Sweden.

Background

The project was initiated following a diagnostic study conducted by the WCO on the preparedness of EAC countries to implement a Regional Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme. The implementation of the AEO programme requires a robust risk management function, which Burundi needed to develop in order to enhance its capacity to manage the AEO programme.

Workshop

The workshop was held from October 23 to 26, 2017, in Bujumbura and was supported by a regional risk management expert from Uganda. The event provided an opportunity for strengthening regional and south-south cooperation. During the workshop, 8 participants, including 3 female delegates, received training on:

• Developing a Risk Management Policy
• Risk Management Strategy
• Risk Register
• Risk Management Action Plan

Next Steps

The next step in the support will involve risk profiling and refining selectivity criteria in ASYCUDA. As one of the countries that has submitted Category “A” notification on the implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation, Burundi is well-positioned to take advantage of this project’s expertise.

Contact

For more information about this activity or the CREATe Project, please contact Mr. Richard Chopra, WCO-Sweden Programme Director, at richard.chopra@wcoomd.org.