Korea-Africa Customs Authorities Collaborate on 'Trade Facilitation' Policy

On the 24th, the Korea Customs Service announced that from the 24th to the 26th, it will hold a "Trade Facilitation Policy Seminar" at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, inviting top customs officials from Africa and high-ranking officials from international organizations in the African region.

The seminar will be attended by top customs officials from 10 countries including Ghana, Namibia, Lesotho, Rwanda, Madagascar, Zambia, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, and Tunisia, as well as senior officials from two international organizations: the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat (AfCFTA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Koh Kwang-hyo, Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service (right), is greeting participants at the Africa High-Level Trade Facilitation Policy Seminar held on the 24th at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul. Photo by Korea Customs Service

The Korea Customs Service has previously held seminars inviting high-ranking officials from Asia and Africa to discuss country-specific customs issues and has established cooperative frameworks among customs authorities.

The seminar’s theme is "Activation of AfCFTA and Customs Modernization." During the seminar, the Korea Customs Service plans to share Korea’s successful Free Trade Agreement (FTA) implementation cases and efficient origin verification and management systems with the top customs officials from the 10 African countries.

Additionally, there will be a session to exchange opinions on Korea’s policy to promote the origin management system to support African companies in utilizing FTAs.

Regarding customs modernization in Africa, the Korea Customs Service will introduce the current operation status of its major scientific inspection equipment and share the achievements of customs business process reengineering (BPR) and the establishment of the electronic customs clearance system (UNI-PASS) projects supported in African countries.

UNI-PASS is the name of the Korean-style electronic customs clearance system developed by the Korea Customs Service. To date, UNI-PASS has been exported to a total of 14 countries, including 6 African countries. The export value amounts to approximately 310 million USD, making it the top export among Korea’s e-government systems.

During the seminar, the Korea Customs Service will also sign a memorandum of understanding on customs cooperation with the AfCFTA Secretariat. Furthermore, bilateral meetings will be held with major African countries to exchange key issues of each customs authority and explore ways for mutual cooperation.

Ko Kwang-hyo, Commissioner of the Korea Customs Service, stated, “We will use this seminar as an opportunity to strengthen the cooperative framework with African countries to help expand exports of Korean companies and support their local market entry.”