As global trade continues to expand, customs authorities face mounting challenges in detecting hazardous substances concealed within seemingly ordinary shipments. The World Customs Organization (WCO) is actively supporting African nations through its "Sida-WCO Trade Facilitation and Customs Modernization Programme for Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa" (TFCM Programme), helping East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) members build robust risk management systems to protect ecological security.
The Dual Challenge: Trade Facilitation and Environmental Protection
While global trade drives economic growth, it simultaneously increases environmental risks. Illegal trafficking of hazardous waste and ozone-depleting substances threatens both ecosystems and public health. Customs administrations worldwide must balance trade facilitation with effective enforcement against these environmental crimes.
Traditional inspection methods often prove inefficient against increasingly sophisticated smuggling techniques. The WCO promotes risk-based approaches to help customs agencies develop assessment frameworks for targeted interventions against high-risk shipments.
The TFCM Programme: Empowering African Customs
With funding from the Swedish government, the WCO launched the TFCM Programme to enhance customs and environmental agencies' capacity through technical assistance and training. As a key component, the WCO organized back-to-back sub-regional workshops in August 2022 in Kampala and Lusaka, focusing on developing risk indicators for goods regulated under the Montreal Protocol and Basel Convention.
Thirty-three officials from EAC and SADC customs administrations and national environmental agencies participated in these intensive four-day sessions, which emphasized customs' evolving role as environmental guardians.
From Trade Regulators to Environmental Protectors
The workshops highlighted customs' critical responsibility in preventing cross-border movement of hazardous waste and illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances. This expanded mandate requires customs officers to develop specialized skills in identifying environmentally sensitive commodities and assessing associated risks.
Building Cross-Border, Cross-Sector Defenses
Participants reaffirmed the necessity of collaboration between customs and environmental agencies to implement effective risk management strategies. WCO experts facilitated working sessions where participants developed draft risk indicator frameworks, analyzing multiple dimensions including:
Verifying authenticity of shipping documents and potential falsification.
Assessing importer/exporter credentials and compliance history.
Identifying unusual routing or transshipment patterns.
Detecting misclassification of regulated substances.
Case Studies: Risk Indicators in Action
Case 1: Customs officers intercepted a shipment declared as "used electronics" destined for a country lacking e-waste processing capacity. Risk indicators included unusually low declared value and the exporter's lack of relevant qualifications. Inspection revealed prohibited electronic waste components.
Case 2: A refrigerant shipment was flagged when the importer lacked proper licensing and used non-refrigerated containers. Laboratory testing confirmed presence of banned ozone-depleting substances.
Continuous Improvement and Global Cooperation
The workshops produced draft risk assessment frameworks that will undergo continuous refinement as trade patterns evolve. The WCO will provide ongoing technical support through its Environmental Programme, in collaboration with UNEP and Basel Convention Secretariat.
This initiative represents part of broader efforts to establish a global environmental security network, combining intelligence sharing, coordinated enforcement, and capacity building to combat transnational environmental crimes.