Tanzania: Dar Port Gets Support to Enhance Efficiency

By Anne Robi

WORLD Customs Organisation (WCO) has pledged to work with the Tanzania Revenue Authority and other necessary governing bodies to improve efficiency of customs operations in the

country.

The WCO Secretary General, Kunio Mikuriya who is in the country for three-day official visit made the revelation in Dar es Salaam noting that collaboration with TRA will basically feature on technology use and other areas on improving efficiency of customs operations.

Mr Mikuriya told reporters shortly after visiting the Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) that use of technology should be linked and integrated with the training of human resource and how to manage it.

"For example the Port of Dar es Salaam is very important, but the infrastructures and other relevant services providers should go hand in hand with customs in the use of technology, and this is the aspects that I have been discussing with TRA Commissioner General on how best to improve the efficiency of custom operations, in collaboration with other regulatory and port authorities," he said.

Mr Mikuriya mentioned the Tanzania Centralized Scanner System currently under implementation as one of the example that the country can use to pull resources by learning best practices from each other and getting together and sharing information and knowledge.

"As WCO organizes more international meetings there are opportunities that are involving mutual neighbours to share the practices and for the technology should be combined with other partners for best practices," he said adding that WCO provides many best practices and guidelines urging the country to introduce and use them.

On the other hand, the WCO Leader said the aim of his visit to the country was to see how Dar es Salaam Port contributes to the economic development of Tanzania and since it is a transit country linking other landlocked countries in transportation of goods from the port.

"Dar es Salaam port is one of the entry points for East Africa economic development. Since it facilitates trade with efficiency, the use of technology is vital for investment and trade that is of cross border movement of goods," he said.

His visit is expected to see more efficiency in facilitating trade and thus contributing to more economic activities that will turn see increase of custom and domestic revenue and tax.

Earlier, the TRA Commissioner General, Edwin Mhede, said that the WCO Secretary General visited the country last Tuesday after visiting Kenya to see how the country can best be connected with countries through customs operations.

The SG and TRA discussed and pointed technology use as the key area in the improvement of efficiency customs operations, especially in transit goods, and other related areas of work.

The TRA Boss said that WCO Leaders will today visit Dodoma and meet with the policy makers to advocate customs importance and also see how the countries can work together to improve customs.

According to the TRA Boss, Tanzania is among the member country of WCO, collaborating on various areas including customs security for people, customs goods among others.