On 14 February 2025, the World Customs Organization (WCO) advised that, under the framework of its WCO-European Union (EU) Rules of Origin (RoO) Africa Programme, it had held a training of trainers workshop on RoO for the African private sector. Customs Brokers Association Ghana (CUBAG), East African Business Council, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Business Council and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Business Council benefited from the workshop, which was held at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, from 05 to 07 February 2025 to assist the private sector in enhancing its knowledge and application of preferential RoO.
The workshop was conducted as part of a comprehensive partnership with private-sector stakeholders in Africa. The support provided under the RoO Africa Programme allows for the deployment of wide-ranging capacity-building activities to enhance the private sector knowledge of RoO and contribute to a seamless utilisation and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and other relevant Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
The workshop allowed participants to refine their knowledge of RoO while enhancing their skills in designing and delivering effective training sessions. The workshop offered the participants a unique opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of origin-related topics through group and individual presentations, incorporating facilitation and communication skills acquired from WCO experts.
At the conclusion of the workshop, the WCO experts offered constructive feedback to participants, highlighting areas for improvement and praising their success in applying newly acquired skills to develop training materials and deliver a training session.
The workshop took place in parallel with the WCO Technical Committee on RoO, offering a unique opportunity for the private sector participants to meet and discuss with national Customs Administrations and international organisations.
The EU-WCO RoO Africa Programme will continue its work with all African stakeholders to equip them with extended knowledge for efficient implementation and application of RoO.
