To undertake a Risk Management diagnostic and to develop a tailor made capacity building support programme that will ensure an intelligence based risk management approach is used by the ERCA

The aim was to inform and raise awareness of members of the National Council for Trade Facilitation about the HMRC/WCO/UNCTAD project; identify specific technical assistance and capacity building needs of core customs departments; provide an introduction to international best practices, standards, tools and instruments related to transit and temporary importation; develop and adopt a work plan for supporting implementation of measures included in the TFA within the Ethiopian Revenues and CUstoms Authority (ERCA), based on WCO's Mercator Programme; and ensure coordination of development pratners.

The programme aims overall at increasing formal small-scale cross-border trade flows in the COMESA/tripartite region, leading to higher revenue collection for governments at the borders as well as increased security and higher incomes for small-scale cross-border traders. The specific objective of the programme is to facilitate small-scale cross border trade flows between targeted countries through effective policy and government reforms, institutional capacity building, improved border infrastructure and better data collection and monitoring.