The World Customs Organization (WCO) has advised that from 20 to 23 February 2024, the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) hosted a National Advanced Workshop on the Harmonized System and Commodity Classification (HS) in Windhoek, Namibia.
The workshop was delivered by three experts from the WCO within the framework of the EU-WCO Programme for the HS in Africa (HS-Africa Programme), funded by the European Union (EU) as part of the comprehensive package of assistance to support NamRA’s work on competency development on HS and classification.
The workshop was attended by 30 officers from different Customs Offices across the country and from the headquarters of the NamRA. The objective of this course was to deliver advanced training on theoretical and practical aspects of the HS in the areas of mineral products, chemicals, medicaments versus food products, plastics, textiles, machinery and high-tech products, as well as to ensure that the participants understand the principles of tariff classification of goods in the HS.
Following the “WCO Strategic Guidance on Competency Development on Tariff Classification”, the workshop was preceded by the HS Foundation e-learning, the intermediate in-person training, and HS Advanced e-learning. In preparation for the workshop NAMRA and private sector stakeholders have provided an exhaustive list of products that are of interest or causing classification challenges within the national context that was used to develop a tailor-made targeted training course.
As part of the assistance to NamRA’s work, the WCO Secretariat purchased one microscope, funded by the EU-WCO Programme for the HS in Africa. The equipment was used for training purposes during the course to identify textile fibres and was handed over to the NamRA after the Workshop.
Participants worked on a number of case studies where they classified specific products which presented complexities in classification, and, during the training on the textile Chapters, they had the chance to practice the identification of various types of textile fibres using the above equipment.