On 21 to 22 April 2021, the World Customs Organization (WCO) held an online Workshop on Data Analytics for manager levels in the East and Southern Africa (ESA) region, organised in close cooperation with WCO-Finland ESA Project II, supported by CCF-Korea. Forty-two (42) participants from 15 Customs Administrations in the ESA region attended the workshop and two (2) additional participants from Korea and Indonesia.
The WCO Director of Capacity Building Directorate welcomed and encouraged participants to promote and share information on how to unlock the potential of data to reinforce the role of Customs.
The data experts from the WCO introduced a comprehensive and holistic overview on Big Data Analytics and practical guiding principles in developing a Capacity Building Framework on this topic. The workshop also provided an opportunity for participants to strengthen the network of data analytics practitioners by sharing Korea’s and Indonesia’s Big Data strategic plans and experiences and good practices of three ESA Members, namely South Africa, Mauritius and Lesotho.
The WCO also updated the participants with the latest developments regarding the "BAnd of CUstoms Data Analysts” (BACUDA) Project including: (1) the future plan for technical assistance, (2) online and offline training courses to build capabilities in data science including machine learning applications and programming skills, and (3) the recent research and development topics.
The participants' active participation and interactive discussions resulted in a successful workshop. The ESA region managers highly appreciated the activity and shared ideas on the next steps to further cooperate with the BACUDA Project to enhance capacity in Data Analytics nationally and regionally.
Story by: Riaan de Lange