Sixty customs clearing agents working at Rubavu border post have begun a training session on customs procedures, which will increase their capacity in dealing with clearance and freight forwarding operations. The six-month training was organized by Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) in collaboration with the Rwanda Freight Forwarders Association (RWAFFA). According to the RRA, the training is the first intake of the East African Customs and Freight Forwarding Practicing Certificate (EACFFPC) training programme to be opened in Rubavu District. The clearing agents, who started the training on Saturday January 29, work at the Rwanda-DR Congo border post. We are training new and practicing customs clearing agents. The vision is to have agents who are trained; and that will make them more knowledgeable about customs procedures as well as help them to declare taxes on time, among other things, Clement Bukuru, the chairman of the forwarders association (RWAFFA), said. Customs clearing agents usually deal with booking storage space at warehouses, arranging for payment of fees and communicating with customs and border authorities or logistics personnel at border posts. The clearing agents said the training was needed to increase their skills in profession. In our everyday work, we need training to update ourselves to the latest technology. This training will enable to work not only in Rwanda but also in other countries in the East African Community, Ibrahim Kazarika, a clearing agent working at Rubavu border, said. For RRA, trained clearing agents will be able to avoid malpractices related to taxes. Training for customs clearing agents is very important. For the ones who are training today, they will not only gain technical knowledge, they will also take courses on ethics, said Yvonne Gatera, RRAs Assistant Commissioner in charge of Customs Operations. Non-trained agents may delay the clearance services, which leads to extra fees. Some of them may even get involved in tax evasion unintentionally due to their lack of enough training. Therefore, trained clearing agents will be able to deliver excellent services and reduce the time goods spend at the customs. Gatera said that in the coming years only trained clearing agents will be allowed to practice customs clearance. At the end of the training, the clearing agents will be given certificates valid across all member states of the East African Community (EAC). Today, there are about 1,000 trained customs clearing agents in Rwanda and RWAFFA said with more training sessions going on in Kigali, there will be about 1,200 in the next six months.
