By Peta-Gay Hodges
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica has achieved over 80 per cent of the provisions on the journey towards full implementation under the World Trade Organisation, (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), through the work of the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA).
Speaking at the recent launch of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, at The Jamaica Pegasus in New Kingston, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Commissioner of Customs at the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA), Velma Ricketts Walker explained that the JCA has been integral to the journey.
Ricketts Walker highlighted that this has been done by leading, coordinating and supporting the modernisation of systems and legislation to align with international standards.
“Through strategic alignment with the WTO and the World Customs Organisation (WCO)… I am proud to say that Jamaica has progressed to sustained implementation as of December 2024, using the WCO’s Maturity model,” the CEO said. “This reflects our full competence in most TFA measures and our commitment to continuous improvement.”
The WCO Maturity Model is a framework used to assess the developmental stages of Customs administrations in various areas, such as trade facilitation, enforcement, and leadership.
It provides a structured approach for Customs administrations to evaluate their current capabilities and identify areas for improvement, ultimately guiding them towards greater efficiency and effectiveness.
The Commissioner highlighted some of the achievements that have occurred through the work of the Agency.
She pointed out that the efforts of the JCA have led to the institutionalisation of the Authorised Economic Operator Programme (AEO), which now includes more than 150 registered operators as well as the operationalisation of the Jamaica Single Window for Trade (JSWIFT), which now serves 13 border regulatory agencies and more than 12,000 users.
Ricketts Walker further explained that the work of the JCA towards full implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement also involves advancing risk management and post-clearance audit frameworks aligned with the Revised Kyoto Convention.
The Revised Kyoto Convention is a World Customs Organization (WCO) agreement focused on simplifying and harmonising customs procedures, which the JCA CEO described as “the blueprint for trade facilitation that Jamaica acceded to in 2021.”
“That just shows how serious we are to ensure that we are satisfying the standards that are required to drive trade facilitation and, of course, the development of the legislative reforms, including the repeal and the replacement of the Customs Act,” Ricketts Walker adding that the Act is now before Parliament to facilitate initiatives such as advanced rulings and other key provisions.
Equally important to the process, the Commissioner of Customs said, has been the JCA’s embedding of trade facilitation in its strategic and operational planning, ensuring that performance measurement, capacity-building and stakeholder engagement are not afterthoughts but, rather, core principles.
