Cameroon agrees to revised Kyoto Convention of Customs

The accession, making the country the 97th Contracting Party to the Convention, demonstrates Cameroon’s commitment to implementing customs procedures adapted to the international trade environment and efforts towards trade facilitation particularly in the context of Africa.

Cameroon has acceded to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonisation of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention - RKC), making the country the 97th Contracting Party to this Convention.

According to a news release from the embassy of the Republic of Cameroon in Brussels, the Ambassador, Daniel Evina Abe’e, deposited Cameroon’s instrument of accession to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonisation of Customs Procedures on 18 November 2014.

The release states that the World Customs Organisation’s (WCO) Secretary General welcomed the accession of Cameroon, currently the WCO Vice-Chair for West and Central Africa, since this demonstrates the country’s commitment to implementing Customs procedures adapted to the international trade environment and efforts towards trade facilitation, particularly in the context of Africa where the African Union is moving towards a continent-wide free trade area aimed at boosting intra-African trade.

“The Secretary General, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, strongly urges the other WCO members to accede to the RKC as soon as possible,” the release further notes. The RKC is the international standard for making Customs regulatory procedures as efficient and effective as possible.

The convention elaborates upon several important principles, including transparency and predictability of Customs actions; standardization and simplification of the goods declaration and supporting documents; simplified procedures for authorized persons; maximum use of information technology; minimum necessary Customs control to ensure compliance with regulations; use of risk management and audit based controls; and coordinated interventions with other border agencies.

The RKC will enter into force for Cameroon on 18 February 2015.