Namibia strengthens its national pool of Harmonized System trainers

From 6 to 9 August 2024, the World Customs Organization conducted a Training of Trainers workshop on the Harmonized System for the Namibia Revenue Authority (NamRA) in Windhoek, Namibia. The workshop was organised within the framework of the EU-WCO Programme for Harmonized System in Africa (HS-Africa Programme), funded by the European Union.

The Training of Trainers workshop aimed to develop a pool of competent trainers in the area of HS tariff classification who could further disseminate knowledge and experiences about the HS in the country. The training brought together 10 officers from the NamRA, who are experienced experts on tariff classification and related areas. The workshop was conducted by a WCO expert and one recognized expert from Spanish Customs.

In his opening remarks, Ms. Jacqueline Gawanas, Senior Manager, representing the Customs Commissioner, highlighted the importance of the HS in trade facilitation and emphasized the critical role played by the HS in streamlining Customs procedures and ensuring accurate tariff determination. She thanked the EU and the WCO for their strong commitment to support NamRA through such initiatives as the HS-Africa Programme.

The training falls under the Strategic Guidance on Competency Development on Tariff Classification and the Harmonized System. It was preceded by a basic, an intermediate and an advanced training on the HS and is part of a comprehensive partnership between the EU-WCO HS and RoO Africa programmes and NamRA on competency development that included the implementation of advance rulings, training on rules of origin and a current project to digitalize advance rulings process.

The Training of Trainers workshop was an occasion to deepen the experts' understanding of the HS as well as develop and strengthen their training skills to deliver HS training. Dedicated presentations of the HS Convention and on specific areas of the HS (e.g., agriculture, chemicals, textiles, machinery) were delivered to participants. The workshop fostered a vibrant learning environment, offering the participants a unique opportunity to deliver short group and individual presentations in various HS related topics while taking into account the skills and tips learnt from the WCO experts.

In conclusion of the workshop, the WCO experts provided general feedback to the participants with a focus on key areas that needed improvement as well as commending the notable areas where participants deployed the acquired skills in developing training materials and delivering a training.

For more details, please contact [email protected].