12 officers accredited in the illegal wildlife trade The World Customs Organisation (WCO) informed that an accreditation workshop was conducted between 26 and 30 August 2019 in Lusaka, Zambia, under the auspices of the INAMA Project with the support of the COPES and Mercator programmes. The event gathered 14 pre-accredited and recognised experts in the field of illegal wildlife trade (IWT) from 12 different countries in Anglophone and Francophone subSaharan Africa, as well as Asia. The countries represented are Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Togo and Zambia. This workshop is the culmination of various Train-The-Trainer and Regional Customs/ Police Enforcement training events. The workshop in Zambia represented the final step for the participants’ accreditation process; they were identified during Train-The-Trainer and Accreditation workshops conducted in the three regions, the global Operation PRAESIDIO, and other events. Some of the participants had previously co-facilitated expert missions in several INAMA beneficiary countries, whereas others delivered training on the IWT to Zambian officers at the accreditation workshop. The training was also intended to build on the results of previous WCOmediated risk management engagements in Zambia under the Mercator Programme and the INAMA Project, as well as enforcement training delivered under the COPES Programme. During the event, candidates were requested to give several prepared and unprepared presentations, especially related to CITES/ IWT, and were evaluated by WCO-accredited experts based on technical customs knowledge of the topics and facilitation/ presentation skills. Following the workshop, 12 officers were accredited, and one was pre-accredited as Operational and Technical Advisors in the field of IWT, thus enhancing the pool of local experts and ensuring a long-term influence in the three regions. This event was funded by the US Department of State and the HMRC-WCOUNCTAD Programme.
Tobacco Industry Supply Chain Rule Insertion - Comment due On 05 September 2019, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) invited comment, which is due by 27 September 2019, on its proposed insertion of draft Rule 107A to the Customs and Excise Act, 91 to 1964 and forms DA185 and DA 185.4A17, which aims to ensure control of the supply chain in the tobacco industry. The intention of the Rule is to provide requirements in respect of tobacco leaf threshers. Tobacco leaf threshers are required to register their factories with the Commissioner for SARS (CSARS) and keep records for purposes of inspection by the CSARS.