As part of the awareness campaign on the Trade Obstacles Alert Mechanism (TOAM), the MCCI conducted a training session for members of the Customs House Brokers Association. The training, which was held at the Freight Academy in Port-Louis, was attended by about 15 operators. The latter were introduced to the new online tool which aims to facilitate trade by removing non-tariff barriers that weigh heavily on the business community.
The training comprised two sessions:
1. Overview of the Mechanism: The objectives and functioning of the mechanism, which is backed by a Protocol signed by all agencies involved in trade procedures and regulations, were explained.
2. Using the Platform: Attendees were trained on how to register as a user, report an obstacle and use the different functionalities available on the website.
To date, 15 obstacles - out of which 10 were encountered whilst importing into Mauritius - have been reported on the platform. It should be noted that 7 of the reported obstacles have been solved whilst the remaining are currently being looked into by relevant agencies. Detailed statistics on the categories and status of reported obstacles can be accessed here.
