To ease document clearance, monthly reporting: Customs reinforces capacities of credit institution staff.

The capacity building workshop was placed under the theme: “The application of elements for the clearing of direct debit files and month data reporting”.

At the closing ceremony of the workshop, the Head of the Nomayos Customs Training Centre, Bowombe Tabi Berthe Angèle, speaking on behalf of the Director General of Customs, Edwin Fongod Nuvaga, said the workshop falls in line with policy of the Customs administration to develop sustainable collaboration with its strategic partners. 

She also mentioned that the credit institutions, that are aggregated intermediaries, are strategic partners in the follow up of external trade financial operations.

According to the Head of Division for Control of External Trade Operations, and facilitator at the workshop, Fossi Fandio Marylise, several recommendations were arrived at by the end of the deliberation. 

She assured that the customs hierarchy is resolute to permanently accompany the partners through the putting in place of a toll-free line to respond to their different preoccupations on a daily basis.

“We also recommended the mutualisation of data transfer, be it to the Central Bank or the customs, as well as alerting the customs that can enable it take charge of goods. We also recommended the collaboration to continue,” Fossi said.

She further revealed that one of the major preoccupations from the participants was that of not having the right information on time. 

“So the banks wish that the Customs can enable them to have the right information as soon as possible once customs operations change. So the Customs took the engagement to always share with them the relevant information,” she added. 

Participants laud initiative

At the end of the workshop, the participants’ spokesperson, Joseph Suh, said the workshop was crucial one for them as they hope to upgrade their skills in handling certain procedures related to customs at their respective place of service. 

“We bankers learned a lot and we appreciate the initiative of the Director General of Customs for having brought banks here to enlighten and clarify them on some of the areas that they face challenges on document clearance related to international transfer files,” the spokesperson said. 

“We learnt a lot and we will do well to ameliorate when we go back in terms of document clearance and also save the banks from paying unnecessary penalties to regulators,” Suh, who is head of foreign operations at the United Bank for Africa, UBA, assured. 

The participants added that the different recommendations, which have been arrived at during the workshop, will be implemented after the scrutiny of the respective institutions they represent. 

One of the key recommendations made by participants was for the Customs administration to put at their disposal a platform on which they can go to and verify the authenticity of documents relating to international files.

According to him, the establishing of such platform is strategic because the banks do not have the capacity to authenticate the documents.