Côte d’Ivoire Customs and the private sector work together to promote a sustainable approach to integrity
With the support of the WCO Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme, a workshop dedicated to Customs-private sector dialogue was held at the Côte d'Ivoire Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Abidjan on 27 June 2024, at the initiative of the Côte d'Ivoire Customs administration and representatives of the country’s private sector.
This innovative activity brought together the major Customs entities in Côte d'Ivoire and the region and benefitted from the expertise of Mali Customs. These included the WCO Regional Capacity Building Office (RCBO) for the West and Central Africa (WCA) region, Côte d’Ivoire private sector umbrella organisations, including the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (representing 700 member companies) and theUnion of Major Companies of Côte d'Ivoire(representing the country's 30 largest companies).
Motivated by the desire to share efficient solutions for tackling corruption, promoting integrity and enhancing economic competitiveness, the participants were able to exchange and share experiences to identify constructive perspectives and common commitments. As the Deputy Director General of Côte d'Ivoire Customs recalled in his opening speech, "the success of a solid and sustainable integrity approach necessarily requires collective and coordinated action between the Customs stakeholders in Côte d'Ivoire".
During the workshop, private sector stakeholders presented the results of the Côte d'Ivoire Customs Integrity Perception Survey (CIPS). This presentation provided an opportunity an in-depth discussion on priorities and the need to strengthen a joint action plan to sustainably develop the integrity approach in the Côte d'Ivoire Customs context. The workshop participants agreed to meet again at the end of July 2024.
The WCO A-CIP Programme provides technical assistance and capacity-building support to WCO Member administrations implementing integrity-related initiatives in line with the WCO Revised Arusha Declaration. For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
