Harmonized System Workshop in Malawi

14 April 2014

With sponsorship of Japan Customs (CCF/Japan), a WCO National Workshop on the Harmonized System was held in the Institute for Training (I.T.A.) of the Malawi Revenue Administration (MRA) in Blantyre, Malawi, from 31 March to 4 April 2014.

At the opening of the Workshop, the Commissioner for Customs & Excise – Imports of the MRA, Mrs. Agnes KATSONGA PHIRI, highlighted the ongoing support of the WCO to meet the demands of Malawi in its capacity building initiatives and thanked the representatives from the WCO Secretariat’s Directorate of Tariff and Trade Affairs for facilitating the high level discussions on tariff classification issues encountered by the Customs officers in Malawi.

A wide range of HS-related matters was addressed and the 25 participants deliberated on a number of issues in specific areas of tariff classification and were thoroughly grounded in the "mechanics of classification", i.e., the fundamental principles and practicalities of HS classification to ensure correct and uniform application of the HS.

The Workshop was closed by the Deputy Commissioner General of the MRA, Mr. Crispin KULEMEKA. In his remarks he recognized that the capacity of Customs to classify commodities in the correct and uniform manner is one of the key prerequisites of a robust and well-functioning revenue collection system.

Photos