As part of the official mission to Cape Verde by Olívio Correia Borges, Regional Coordinator of the SYDONIA Program at UNCTAD/UN Trade and Development, a series of meetings is taking place from July 7 to 10 to assess progress on the upgrade of the SYDONIA World system at Cape Verde’s customs offices.

In this context, a Technical Review Session for the project—funded by the Cabo Verde Digital Project—was held this Thursday, July 9, at the offices of the Special Projects Management Unit (UGPE). The meeting provided an opportunity to present the results achieved, validate strategic recommendations, and align key priorities ahead of the High-Level Meeting with the Secretary of State for Finance.

During the session, the main advances made in updating SYDONIA World and in customs reform were presented, including the migration to SYDONIA World version 4.4.0, the modernization of the technological infrastructure, the strengthening of customs value controls through ASYVAL, the implementation of new customs modules, the development of integration services, and the strengthening of the national team’s capabilities.

The session was attended, in a hybrid format, by representatives from the National Directorate of State Revenues (DNRE), the General Directorate of Customs (DGA), the UGPE, the Competitiveness Unit, the Directorate of Digital Transformation Services (DST), the SYDONIA Project National Team, and UNCTAD/UN Trade and Development.

Among others, the following participated in the meeting: Liza Vaz, representing the DNRE; Osvaldo Rocha, representing the DGA; Guevara Cruz, Project Manager for the Cabo Verde Digital Project/UGPE; Hamilton, from the SYDONIA Project National Team/DNRE; Adilson da Cruz; Luís Teixeira, representing the Competitiveness Unit; Octávio Correia, representing the DST; Olívio Correia Borges, Regional Coordinator of UNCTAD/UN Trade and Development; and international expert Elysée Sindihebura.

The project, which falls under the Digital Public Services and Market component of the Cabo Verde Digital Project, aims to support the upgrade of SYDONIA World and the implementation of customs reform, and will run from November 2023 to July 2026. 

The discussions also helped identify priorities for the next phase, including the consolidation of the Single Window for Foreign Trade, the enhancement of institutional interoperability, the strengthening of risk management, the expansion of customs value controls, the digitization of procedures, and the continuation of technical and institutional assistance to ensure the sustainability of reforms within Cape Verde’s Customs Service.