At the invitation of African Union, Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya participated in its Sub-Committee of Customs Directors General Meeting, held in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo on 25 to 26 September 2014.
The African Union's Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Ms. Fatima Haram Acyl, urged Members to prepare for the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement with categorisation and cost implication even if the adoption of the Protocol continued to be stalled. For the time being, Secretary General Mikuriya explained about the World Customs Organisation (WCO) offer of assistance with its tools and the Working Group on the Trade Facilitation Agreement.
The meeting organised a panel discussion on interconnectivity for improved trade facilitation. Several Members shared their experience and identified a range of necessary factors, including political will, legal framework, IT infrastructure, working methods and funding. Secretary General Mikuriya explained the WCO's tools for structured information exchange contained in the Globally Networked Customs with Utility Block as well as the Transit Handbook under finalisation. He also shared the related area of Single Window and the need for its progressive application from the national level, based on the global practices, reflected in the WCO Single Window Compendium.
Delegates decided to assume the mission of supporting a Continental Free Trade Area (FTA). It also adopted a systematic working method with a matrix of an action plan.