Reverend Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, the Commissioner General at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has requested for additional resources to be given to Customs administration in order to execute their duties in the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He noted that, the rules of origin is a critical factor of AfCFTA so member countries must adopt flexible rules which will lead to Harmonized Commodity Description and coding Systems to enable custom officers to implement the rules fairly.
“Rules of origin is a critical factor of the main agreement. It behooves on us to have flexible rules and also be consistent in the chapter, heading and subheading levels of the Harmonized Commodity Description and coding systems. These would enable our officers to implement these fairly to all”.
In a speech read on his behalf at the first AfCFTA Meeting of Directors-General/Heads of Customs Administrations in Accra, he said as the time for implementation of the Agreement draws closer, there is the need for clear policy direction on the uniform application of customs provisions in the agreement by state parties.
As such, all custom related issues should be addressed and coordinated before the implementation of AfCFTA.
“Operationalizing of AfCFTA will be an additional responsibility to our operations and therefore would be prudent for Customs Administrations to be given additional resources in performing these roles diligently. You ought to make such recommendations to the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU for additional resources”.
Mr. Owusu-Amoah revealed that, since March 2016 customs and trade experts have been meeting to develop protocol, annexes and appendices to the framework agreement for the ultimate take-off of AfCFTA, adding it was time to operationalize whatever had been developed on AfCFTA.
With this, Ghana was ready to harness these strategic pillars to achieve the goals and objectives of AfCFTA.
“We in Ghana Revenue Authority and Customs Division, in particular, are ready for the implementation of customs-related annexes and appendices of the Protocol on trade in goods”.
He further stressed that the conventional role of customs as a revenue mobilization agency was fast waning into trade facilitation and trade promotion in line with modern trade practices.
On his part, the Secretary-General of AfCFTA, Mr Wamkele Mene, expressed his gratitude to the Government for hosting the Secretariat, indicating that the Government had provided all the support and the facilities that they required to start their work.
He said the agreement that established the AfCFTA made provisions for a Committee of Heads of Customs, who would be playing an advisory role to the AU Council of Ministers of Trade.
The Secretary-General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, in a virtual address, said over the years the WCO had worked with the AU and its Directors-General/Heads of Customs Administrations in support of the AfCFTA project because it represented the hope of the continent in bringing stability and prosperity at the boarders.
“Borders have divided the African continent but they are now expected to connect the families and people by boosting intra-African trade”.
The meeting under the auspices of the AfCFTA Secretariat was on the theme: “Operationalization of the AfCFTA Custom Provisions”.
