Effective implementation of the AFE in prospect
A feedback workshop on the Satisfaction Survey on the Preferred Partnership Program was held on February 21, 2018 at the Radisson Blu. USAID, in collaboration with the Customs Administration, through the Direction de la Facilitation et du Partenariat avec l’Entreprise, conducted this survey to assess the Private Sector’s level of knowledge of this program. This information and sharing workshop on the status of the Privileged Partnership Program was organized by the Senegalese Customs Public Relations and Communication Office. Various stakeholders took part in the survey, including the Customs Management Committee, some of the structures surveyed, the Director General of Impôts et Domaines, and a number of private sector representatives who contributed to the satisfaction survey.
As part of its commitment to supporting the private sector, Senegal Customs has been participating in the Privileged Partnership Program since 2011, through the implementation of the SAFE Standards (of the World Customs Organization).
In fact, the PPP aims to reward exemplary companies in terms of regulatory compliance.
With this in mind, Customs has taken the initiative of carrying out a satisfaction survey among private sector operators, in order to evaluate the program and make any necessary improvements.
In her opening speech, Lisa Franchett, Director of USAID, praised the initiative of conducting a satisfaction survey, and congratulated the Customs Administration on its efforts to meet the needs of investors and provide them with a facilitation tool.
For his part, Customs Director General Oumar DIALLO recalled that the Trade Facilitation Agreement ratified in 2016 provides for measures to improve the partnership between Customs and Business.
The customs authority stressed the need to set up a high-quality AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) program, governed by rigorous, clear and transparent procedures.
Following the speeches, several presentations on the results of the survey were made by the experts who accompanied Customs in this program evaluation.
Among the recommendations arising from the survey are a shift from the Privileged Partnership Program to Authorized Economic Operators, the creation of a trade information portal, and increased awareness among customs officers of the customs-business partnership.
USAID’s Trade Facilitation Project (also known as Leadership in Public and Financial Management II) contributes to improving economic governance in sub-Saharan African countries. LPFM II provides targeted assistance to the Government of Senegal, through the Ministry of Commerce and the General Directorate of Customs, to ensure that national legislation complies with the priority provisions of the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
NFS/VASID/BRPC
