Customs Commission Offers Reprieve for Clearing Agents

Jul 30 , 2022


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The Ethiopian Customs Commission has granted customs clearing agents a final chance to renew their permits after paying a penalty. Agents and the Commission have been at odds over a directive that compels the former to hire additional staff. Close to 60pc of the 1,000 clearing agents working on import and export facilitation had complied with the initial deadline in January this year set by the Commission. The Commission had suspended the permits of 482 agents due to failure to meet the terms of the directive it had introduced two years ago. It compels individual transitors to hire at least one professional to conduct business other than themselves, while companies must hire two.


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