The World Customs Organization (WCO) successfully delivered a “green” multi-regional Pre-Accreditation Workshop (conducted without the use of paper) on Time Release Study (TRS) in Lusaka, Zambia, from 03 to 07 March 2025. Hosted by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), the workshop brought together English-speaking participants from the West and Central Africa (WCA) and the East and Southern Africa (ESA) regions. It was supported by the WCO Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, funded by the United Kingdom (UK) His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
The ZRA’s Commissioner of Customs officially opened the workshop, welcoming participants and expressing hopes for a successful outcome.
The WCO’s TRS accreditation process for Technical and Operational Advisor (TOA), which consists of three phases, aims at strengthening the pool of high-level technical experts who can assist WCO members in implementing TRS and independently deliver capacity-building activities on behalf of the WCO.
The pre-accreditation workshop was Phase II of the TRS accreditation process for English-speaking candidates from the WCA and ESA regions. Following a competitive selection process, 12 candidates were shortlisted to participate in Phase II. During the workshop, candidates engaged in intensive exercises, and holistic assessments were carried out to not only test technical proficiencies on TRS methodology (project planning and scoping, business process mapping, data analysis, TRS report, monitoring and evaluation, and action plan development) but also their professional competencies.
A total of five candidates were successful who will now advance to Phase III, the final stage of the WCO TRS TOA accreditation process. In this final phase, they will be invited to participate as co-facilitators in an in-country mission, a national or regional workshop, to demonstrate their technical expertise and professional competencies to become a WCO TOA on TRS.
More information is available from TRS@wcoomd.org.