Race towards compliance with WTO rule on Cargo Risk Management

Kenya is making bold steps towards full compliance with article 7.4 of the World Trade Organization – WTO-Trade Facilitation Agreement that requires member states to have a harmonised Risk Management System for import,export and transit cargo by all state agencies involved in permit approvals and regulations of international trade.CEO Amos Wangora officiated a capacity building workshop attended by representatives from the State Department of Trade,KenTrade,state agencies and Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation where the commitment was reached.

The Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation is a multi-donor multi-stakeholder public-private initiative, launched in Nairobi at the WTO 10th Ministerial Conference in December 2015  with support of the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany and Denmark. In Kenya, the Global Alliance currently supports the implementation of Pre-Arrival Processing; a process which requires a robust risk management. Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation Project Lead in Kenya Mr. Markus Wauschkuhn  said the partnership with KenTrade was aimed at improving risk management processes for all border agencies to reduce associated delays.

KenTrade CEO Amos Wangora said KenTrade has been actively engaging  36 permit issuing and regulatory state agencies  to seamlessly integrate their risk profiles in the Kenya TradeNet System where currently 10 Government agencies have customised their Risk modules.Some of these Agencies include Kenya Bureau of Standards, Pest Control Products Board, AFFA-Sugar Directorate, National Environmental Authority, Poison and Pharmacy Board, Port Health and Anti-Counterfeit Authority just to mention a few.

KenTrade has collaborated with GIZ Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation to rally other institutions to adopt this module by inculcating a risk-based approach in trade facilitation initiatives. This collaboration is also aimed at identifying the capacity challenges facing the various PGAs in adopting the risk management module and identifying ways in which we can all jointly work together in building the necessary capacity for the PGAs. Additionally, this collaboration will ensure that Agencies who are already on board discuss how to enhance the usage of the module and mitigate emerging risks arising from the ever-changing business environment.