The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Over 1000 delegates, 600 international and 400 national, are in Uganda for the next three days to take part in the 4th World Customs Organization Global Authorised Economic Operator’s Conference that officially opened today – March 14 at Kampala Serena Hotel.
Speaking to reporters prior to the official opening of the conference, the Commissioner General for Uganda Revenue Authority, Doris Akol said, the Authorized Economic Operators Program (AEO) gives special treatment for clearance of goods across borders to companies that have over the years demonstrated high compliance levels. It also simplifies the work of customs since there is an element of trust and self declaration.
Akol said that 51 companies are already hooked onto this program in Uganda and have reported improvement in cost management as a result of reduced time for clearing goods among other benefits.
The conference, Akol said, that is being attended by among others, customs officials, the business community, the academia, government officials, civil society would discuss in detail the challenges and opportunities of the program and the entire customs issues to make it better going forward.
The Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya said, that the conference would boost Africa’s quest for economic growth opportunities using customs. Mikuriya said that African leaders have put in place legal and policy framework regarding customs but these, he said, will succeed alongside programs like AEO that are being implemented on the ground by customs officials.
President Yoweri Museveni, who officially opened the conference, sounded somewhat diversionary from the topic when he said the problem of Africa is a small population that constrains consumption. He said, however, women are now producing more children and that increasing Africa’s population would boost the continent’s economic growth targets.
The Global AEO Conference is aimed at creating a platform for all to see and appreciate the work being done by @URAuganda some of which includes many trade facilities that have been created and are now internationally recognized. #AEO2018Kampala pic.twitter.com/vIcWxas2lZ
— ? Payo (@enywaru) March 14, 2018
Museveni said that, Africa which missed out on industrialization in the past has now woken up and is forming economic blocs like the East African Community, which has 170 million people, to promote production, trade and economic transformation.
“We are moving towards industrial…and digital revolution,” Museveni said, before urging the visitors to visit Uganda’s tourist areas.
This conference, the first of its kind in Africa, has attracted participants from 169 countries and is organized under the theme ‘promoting mutual recognition of AEOs to strengthen and secure global trade’.
