The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Korea Customs Service (KCS) have signed an aide-memoire to facilitate customs reforms and modernisation. This collaboration aims to use Korean customs experience and tools to streamline Africa’s trade processes, potentially improving intra-continental trade and helping regional integration initiatives.
The vice president for the private sector, infrastructure, and industrialisation at the AfDB, Mr. Solomon Quaynor, and the Commissioner of the KCS, Mr. Ko Kwang-hyo, represented their respective organisations at the virtual signing ceremony.
The partnership described in the aide-memoire is aimed at facilitating commerce between AfDB regional member countries by aiding in the modernisation and reform of customs policies. Improving border administration to increase tax collection and increasing operational transparency are important goals.
The partnership will also focus on several critical areas, including capacity-building and technical assistance for customs modernisation, national and regional seminars on electronic clearance systems, site visits for African customs officers to observe KCS’s digitalisation efforts, technical support for establishing electronic clearance and origin management systems in Africa, collaboration on trade and transport facilitation along African corridors and border posts, dissemination of best practices on trade facilitation, and joint studies on customs modernisation policies for Regional Economic Communities in Africa.
“The significance of this aide-memoire on the facilitation of customs reforms and modernisation cannot be overstated. It will energise the bank’s operations on trade facilitation and customs reforms, helping to roll back non-tariff barriers and other impediments to intra-African and external trade and operationalise the African Continental Free Trade Area. We look forward to working closely with the Korea Customs Service to implement the provisions in the aide-memoire,” Mr. Quaynor said.
Commissioner Ko Kwang-hyo also emphasised Korea’s willingness to share its experience, particularly through the UNI-PASS electronic clearing system. He revealed that KCS intends to launch a variety of initiatives to facilitate trade in the African region and stimulate active cooperation in new sectors, using this aide-memoire as a foundation.
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