Customs finetunes preparation for 20th May celebration.

The meeting, which was preceded by a flag hoisting ceremony, took place at the conference room of the Directorate General of Customs.

The strategic meeting was attended by heads of the central and deconcentrated services of the Customs Directorate. 

Amongst other issues during the meeting, the officials reviewed preparations towards ensuring a succinct participation of the Customs Department during the National Day celebration, throughout the country, come May 20. 

It was stated that rehearsals for Customs officers in Yaounde to take part in the military parade is being held at the 101 Air Base and in compliance with a drawn-up programme by the Ministry of Defence, MINDEF. 

The Customs detachment of 237 officers will be camping at Military Head Quarters, until May 19, to complete the rehearsal process. 

It was also mentioned at yesterday’s meeting that funds have been made available for the officers undergoing the rehearsal, while arrangements for the provision of uniforms have been completed and uniforms made available for the troops in all Customs sectors since May 9.

With the Armed Forces Fair scheduled for May 17 to 19 at the esplanade of Yaounde 101 Air Base, three Customs innovations were selected to be showcased.

The said innovations include the setting up of thematic Customs pools (professions, reforms, organisation and operation, legislation, collaboration, surveillance, seizures); the enhancement of Customs surveillance vehicles such as the naval and motorised units; and the performance of the Customs brass band on the site of the Yaoundé 101 Air Base.

Appraise IMF review delegation

The management committee meeting also served as an opportunity for officials to appraise the review mission of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, delegation to Cameroon; that ran from April 25 to May 8. 

It was stated that the IMF review recommended the revision of the 2013 law on incentives for private investment in Cameroon, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Taxes.

The review mission equally recommended the monitoring of the impact of tax and Customs measures in the 2024 Finance Law.

During the said visit, Customs revenue was forecast to rise from 1,079.6 billion FCFA in 2024, to 1,095.6 billion FCFA in 2024. 

To guarantee increase revenue, the delegation suggested the increased collection of duties and taxes on gold and diamonds in collaboration with SONAMINES; combating false transit of goods and customs fraud; and maximising revenue from high-potential products.

Another issue during the deliberation was the development of Customs applications. 

In this light, Customs personnel were told to refer much more to COSMOS Containers, scanner images and to integrate the NEXUS+ Cameroon Customs GPS in their daily function. 

To optimise this, the Customs IT Division was said to planning capacity-building sessions for operational staff to optimise the use and performance of IT applications. 

In his keynote remark, the Customs boss urged his collaborators to remain motivated and committed to achieve exceptional levels of performance.