Ngirente was speaking on Thursday while opening the 23rd Governing Council of the World Customs Organization – East and Southern Africa Region (WCO-ESA) that is taking place in Kigali.
WCO-ESA is a 24-member country organization which mission is to provide leadership in the WCO East and Southern Africa Region in the areas of sustainable customs capacity building and change management.
Speaking at the event Ngirente said that the meeting comes at an opportune time following recent launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by African Union leaders.
He said that Africans deserve a continent which is developed and influential on global affairs, a move which will be facilitated by Customs organisations.
“Africa we want and deserve, is an Africa that is: developed, strong, united, trade with each other, resilient and influential on global affairs. To realise this, we must deepen our regional integration and boost economical abilities. Customs organisations will play a key role,” he said.
He said that the government of Rwanda hails the role of the World Customs Organization – East and Southern Africa Region in providing capacity building leadership and managing innovations in the areas of sustainable customs.
Ngirente urged on continued capacity building with modern methods of conducting customs activities to officers in charge of collecting and managing customs.
“Though a lot has been done in building the capacity of officers in charge of collecting and managing customs in East and Southern Africa Region, equipping them further with modern methods of conducting customs activities including application of IT needs to continue,” he added.
He said that equipping staff in customs with modern methods of conducting customs activities is key as Countries work against issues that do with cross border such as security, illegal importation of illicit drugs, human trafficking and trading in counterfeits.
“I urge all delegates to deliberate on these issues aiming at providing tangible measures. Special focus must also be put on modernisation of customs by ensuring that all World Customs Organization tools and packages are effectively utilized,” he urged.
The WCO East and Southern Africa Region consist of 24 Member Countries which are Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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