Ghana Customs strengthens its Rules of Origin competency

Under the framework of the EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme, funded by the European Union, the World Customs Organization, in partnership with Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), held a advanced training workshop on rules of origin for Ghana Customs. The workshop was held in Accra, Ghana, from 30 September to 4 October 2024 with the objective to assist Ghana Customs in enhancing its knowledge and application of preferential rules of origin and contribute to a seamless implementation of the AfCFTA and other relevant FTAs.

This workshop builds on the acquis from an intermediate training conducted in 2023 and forms part of a comprehensive technical assistance and capacity building partnership with GRA.

In his opening remarks, Mr Emmanuel Ohene, Deputy Commissioner Operations, on behalf of the GRA Commissioner Customs, thanked the WCO and the EU for their continued support in building capacity. He recalled that GRA had embarked on the critical journey of capacity building on rules of origin last year and that the current workshop would allow selected participants to gain the needed skills and understanding of the topic to impact the future of GRA. He also stressed the need to impart the knowledge to colleagues and, thus, contribute to the collective will to ensure that revenue targets are met.

During the workshop, participants gained a deeper understanding of key concepts for proper origin determination, including possible flexibilities such as cumulation, tolerance rules and the absorption principle, as well as related operational and procedural issues, including origin certification and verification. Case studies made the concepts more tangible and relatable, and allowed the participants to detangle the spaghetti bowl of rules of origin in various free trade agreements applicable in Ghana. Participants also had the opportunity to observe the practical application and management of rules of origin through a field visit to a factory manufacturing baby food, cereals, instant coffee, chocolate beverages, among other products, for the local Ghanaian market, and also exports to countries in the ECOWAS region, other African countries, some European countries etc..

The EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme will continue its work with GRA to equip Customs officials with extended knowledge for efficient implementation and application of rules of origin. As a next step, the Programme will conduct a training of trainers which will pave the way for Customs to further disseminate their knowledge to colleagues as well as to other relevant stakeholders.

For further information please contact [email protected]