The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Regional Technical Assistance Center for Southern Africa¹ hosted seminars this week for senior budget and customs officials from 13 countries across the region and international experts to seek ways to strengthen fiscal institutions and facilitate movement of goods across borders. The center, located in Port Louis, Mauritius and known as AFRITAC South, organizes seminars on cross-cutting topics of regional importance as part of its capacity-building and peer-to-peer learning activities for its member countries across Southern Africa.

“These seminars have provided a golden opportunity for officials from across the region to learn from each other and outline concrete improvements to fiscal institutions and customs administration in their respective countries. They have also benefited from the IMF’s experience in other regions of the world,” said Mr. Vitaliy Kramarenko, AFRITAC South Coordinator. “The rich discussions we have had at both seminars will play a pivotal role in sharpening the focus of capacity-building activities of AFRITAC South in the areas of public financial management and customs administration in the coming years.”

The seminar on “Building Fiscal Institutions to Foster Sustainable Growth and Poverty Reduction in Southern Africa” was organized jointly by the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department and AFRITAC South. Recognized international experts in public financial management and national budget directors and other senior-level budget officials from 12 AFRITAC South member countries and Tanzania discussed the importance of well-grounded macroeconomic and budget forecasting and pro-active management of fiscal risks, as well as the role of transparency, including accurate reporting of budget numbers to the public. The discussions centered on practical lessons from the experience of countries that have faced major fiscal shocks during the recent crisis. Not only did the seminar participants have an opportunity to discuss international good practice in managing public finances, but they also exchanged views on the experiences of their own countries and became more aware of differences in fiscal institutions across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

The seminar on “Trade Facilitation” brought together senior customs officials from 11 AFRITAC South member countries and representatives of regional organizations and the private sector. The principle objective was to energize customs authorities into taking practical, meaningful steps to facilitate trade. Seminar participants agreed that achieving easier clearance of cargo was one of the key elements of trade facilitation. Each participating customs administration discussed practical measures that could be undertaken within the next 12 months to facilitate cargo clearance. Seminar participants also stressed that more efficient customs administration in the region would support economic development by reducing the cost of doing business, improving consumer choice, and helping contain the cost of living.

Quick links:

Press Release No. 11/364: IMF Opens Fourth Regional Technical Assistance Center in Africa

Factsheet: IMF Technical Assistance

Factsheet: IMF Regional Technical Assistance Centers

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¹ The center serves Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.