On 24 February 2026, the World Customs Organization (WCO) advised that it was strengthening the understanding of the Rules of Origin (RoO) and that practices were key to the successful implementation of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and to building trust between Customs and trade operators.
Ten Customs officers completed the development cycle, marking the first time the WCO has accredited officials from some Customs administrations.
Newly accredited WCO experts on RoO will be able to train their peers in Portuguese- and Arabic-speaking countries.
Building sustainable, autonomous training capacity in Customs administrations is one of the WCO’s objectives. Since 2022, with funding from the European Union (EU), the WCO has been working with African Customs administrations to equip Customs officials and relevant stakeholders with the knowledge and skills required to efficiently implement RoO provisions set out in preferential trade agreements. One key activity of the EU-WCO RoO Africa Programme is to develop a pool of experts capable of training their peers and key stakeholders to support WCO training activities.
Ten Portuguese- and Arabic-speaking Customs officers completed the RoO Competency Development Cycle in February 2026, bringing the number of trainers accredited under the Programme for RoO to 19. It is the first time that Portuguese-speaking experts on RoO have been accredited and, for some Customs administrations, the first time one of their officers has been accredited by the WCO.
The 10 officers who completed the cycle represented the Customs administrations of Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Tunisia.
The accreditation journey
Developed under the EU-WCO RoO Africa Programme, the RoO Competency Development Cycle combines online learning with in-person instruction to create a flexible, engaging, and effective learning experience. To be accredited, the officers must complete intermediate and advanced training, participate in a train-the-trainer workshop and a pre-accreditation workshop, and, finally, take part in a WCO workshop as a trainer. The Competency Development Cycle began in 2024 for both Arabic- and Portuguese-speaking groups. It culminated in the final step of their accreditation process in late 2025.
The newly accredited experts attended the Technical Committee on RoO (TCRO) and the Global Forum on Origin Self-Certification, held in Brussels, Belgium, in February 2026, with the aim of ensuring continued competency development in the subject and enabling them to interact with a wider network of origin experts.
These experts will be invited to serve as facilitators in the upcoming training sessions organised by the programme at continental, regional, and national levels. Some experts were experienced trainers when they embarked on the accreditation journey with the programme. In contrast, others had not yet had the opportunity to conduct training. Common for all is that they will be a major asset for their respective administrations in support of national training activities, both for their peers and for other public and private stakeholders.
EU-WCO RoO Africa Programme: Supporting Customs administrations
To date, 213 activities have been carried out under the EU-WCO RoO Africa Programme, each tailored to the needs of the programme’s beneficiaries. Activities include conducting training, conducting diagnostic and needs assessments, organising forums and consultations, and developing guidelines, manuals, and Standard Operating Procedures.
In 2026, the programme will continue to respond to requests from Customs administrations, Regional Economic Communities and the private sector in Africa to further develop their origin competencies. It will also continue providing technical assistance on the effective implementation and application of RoO, including the self-certification provisions in intra-African Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and in Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between African countries and the EU.