Kenya reduced its penalty for importers who violate rules that require imported goods to undergo inspections of their origin countries, according to a March 16 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The change, made last month, reduced the penalty from 20% to 5% of the value of the goods, the report said. The penalty stems from a policy that outlaws importers importing goods without prior inspection in their countries of origin, HKTDC said. Importers are concerned that lower penalties will lead to an influx of imports without prior inspections, which will lead to a backlog of goods awaiting inspection and evaluation at ports, the HKTDC said.

Morocco’s national food safety board plans to introduce new regulations for food product packaging that will impact “all foreign imports,” the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in a March 10 report. A public consultation period ended in January and no details have yet been released on changes to the rules resulting from public comments nor a release date for the rules, the report said. The new requirements will apply to all of Morocco's trading partners that import, produce or use “food contact materials,” including metals, alloys, paper, cardboard, ceramics, plastics, inks, coatings and “varnishes used on food contact materials,” the report said. Other products impacted include rubber, regenerated cellulose films, pigments and dyes.

Several members of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain -- introduced measures to amend or clarify their customs and value-added tax regulations, KPMG said in a March 9 post. Saudi Customs introduced a “self-correction program,” which allows importers to voluntarily declare and pay duties for “any pending customs liability,” KPMG said. In addition, Qatar is expected to implement its VAT regime this year, the post said, and Bahrain issued guidance relating to how often its VAT payers must file certain tax documents.

East African Community member states will increase the tariffs for imported finished goods to 32% from non-EAC countries, according to a March 6 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. EAC previously charged a 25% tariff on all finished imports. The import tariffs will apply to the six member states: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Ethiopia recently approved a new law that encourages foreign direct investment, seeking to “open” more of its sectors unless “specifically forbidden” on a negative list, according to a Feb. 21 post from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The changes aim to promote foreign investment in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors while encouraging investment in “emerging industries,” the report said. The change comes as several countries are amending their foreign investment review regimes, including the U.S. (see 2001140060), which is pushing for more stringent global controls on investment (see 2002260042).

Morocco issued the second tender of 2020 to import more than 350,000 metric tons of durum wheat from the U.S. under its tariff rate quota, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Feb. 21. Auction results for the imports will be announced March 5, the USDA said, and deliveries must arrive by May 31.

Ghana will soon introduce its new electronic customs clearance system on a trial basis at its Takoradi Port, one of the country’s two major ports, before a national rollout, according to a Feb. 18 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The new UNIPASS system will replace the existing single window system and will provide a “one-stop platform” for all customs procedures, the HKTDC said. The platform will also integrate all government entities, which will allow for efficient information sharing between the customs authority, agencies and other stakeholders. The system is expected to cut the country’s customs clearance processing time from two days to a “few hours,” the HKTDC said, with “real-time tracking” of cargo. But the HKTDC said the platform has faced delays -- the system was originally scheduled for launch in January 2019, then rescheduled to January 2020.

All goods imported into Oman will now be checked for “quality and standards compliance” before entering the market, according to a Feb. 18 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The change, announced Feb. 2, is aimed at improving the quality of the country’s imported goods, specifically electrical products, cosmetics and building materials, the HKTDC said. Oman also stopped accepting paper applications for customs clearance beginning Feb. 7. All applications must be made through its single window online platform Bayan, the HKTDC said.

Saudi Arabia’s customs authority launched a six-month window for importers to voluntarily correct past customs declarations without penalties, according to a Feb. 12 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The window, which began Jan. 1, is intended to help Saudi Arabia identify inaccurate customs information, such as under-declared import values, inaccurate freight charges, misclassification of goods and more. Importers are only eligible for the program if they have not already been chosen for a customs audit, the report said.

Kenya recently introduced a bill that would require all customs agents and freight forwarders to undergo professional customs training, according to a Feb. 4 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The bill, introduced Jan. 21, aims to improve professionalism within the trade industry, increase compliance with the country’s customs regulations, reduce cargo delays at ports, improve revenue collection and lower costs of business, the report said. The HKTDC said the “lack of expertise in customs clearance” has become a “growing problem for the country,” and the bill is likely to become law before 2021. The U.S. and Kenya recently agreed to begin trade negotiations, and the Kenyan president said the country is committed to ending corruption and providing a more efficient trading environment for U.S. companies (see 2002060071).