NIGERIA
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Brussels
Consular Services
Copyright ©2010 All rights reserved. Nigeria Embassy, Brussels
Ecowas, World Customs Organization Agree to Enhance
Capacity of Customs Administrations in West Africa
Embassy of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria
Avenue de Tervuren 288
1150 Brussels
+32 2 762 52 00
+32 2 762 37 63
Abuja - Nigeria — ECOWAS and the World Customs Organization (WCO) have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance the capacity of Customs administrations in
West Africa in order to deliver more efficiently on their statutory functions and thus contribute
to the economic growth and development of the region. The MOU was signed in Abuja on
Friday, 18th February 2011 by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Ambassador James
Victor Gbeho for ECOWAS while the visiting Director General of the World Customs
Organization, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, signed for his organization.

Both the ECOWAS Commission and the WTO agreed on actively promoting the modernization
of Customs administrations in the ECOWAS region through the adoption and implementation of
Customs instruments and tools sponsored or administered by the WCO, within the mandate
sanctioned by the revised ECOWAS Treaty. Among others, the MOU covers capacity building
and training, nomenclature and tariff, customs automation, customs procedures, trade
facilitation, supply chain security and origin. It encourages a regular dialogue between the two
parties, a regular exchange of information and ideas in every sector of the cooperation. Also,
both parties agreed to coordinate joint training activities for Customs officers from ECOWAS
Member States.

In his remarks at the ceremony, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Ambassador James
Victor Gbeho, stressed ECOWAS' recognition of the critical role of customs as an institution to
help actualize the dream of a common market through trade liberalization and adoption of a
common external tariff (CET). He explained that ECOWAS was developing a common external
tariff as part of the process towards achieving a customs union, and that the Commission
would ensure that the region migrates to the 2012 version of the Harmonized System
nomenclature from the 2007 version on which negotiations on the CET are based.

Ambassador Gbeho also disclosed that the Commission was interconnecting the customs
computer systems in Member States "as a prelude to ultimately having a single platform for
customs systems in the region". This, he said, would enhance data exchange and facilitate
trade in West Africa. He stated that majority of ECOWAS Member States have declared their
intention to implement the WCO's SAFE Framework of Standards, which he described as a
declaration by the region to modernize customs procedures, improve on the manner cross-
border trade is handles in order to facilitate trade without compromising on security and
revenue collection. The ECOWAS boss assured that as the region moves towards a customs
union, the Commission would become a rallying point to network its customs administrations
and enable them work together for the development of the region.

In his own statement, the Director General of the World Customs Organization, Mr. Kunio
Mikuriya, described customs as the key to trade and noted that it was the responsibility of the
World Customs Organization to connect markets. While stating that the WCO strongly
supports regional integration, Mr. Mikuriya described the ceremony as "very historical and
fruitful", saying it was a "pleasure to formalize our partnership with ECOWAS". Among those in
attendance at the signing ceremony were Nigeria's Ambassador to the European Union,
Ambassador Usman Baraya, the Director General of the Customs Administration of Niger,
Hajiya Zeinab Idrissa, the Director of the Abidjan-based Regional Office for Capacity Building,
Mr. Souleymane Sangara, the WCO's Deputy Director in charge of capacity Building, Ms. Heike
Barczyk as well as ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade and Customs, Alhaji Mohammed Daramy,
his counterpart in charge of Macro-economic Policy, Professor N'Galadjo Bamba, his colleague
responsible for Infrastructure, Mr. Celestin Talaki and the Commissioner for Political Affairs,
Peace and Security, Major General Mahamane Toure.