Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Automatic Collection of Duties and Taxes by the Mauritius Duty Free Paradise (MDFP), a project elaborated by the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA), and the Container Control Programme (CCP), which is being conducted jointly by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO), were launched, this morning, by the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, during a ceremony held at Plaine Magnien.
The ceremony was organised by the MRA to mark the International Customs Day 2023, under the theme ‘Nurturing the next generation- Promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and professional pride in Customs’.
Other eminent personalities, including the Director-General of the MRA, Mr Sudhamo Lal, were present on the occasion. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed by the MRA and the Mauritius Duty Free Paradise.
During the ceremony, a Certificate of Merit was awarded to Customs Officers and representatives of the public and private sectors for their outstanding contribution in relation to the theme of this year’s celebration.
In his address, Dr Renganaden Padayachy underlined that the International Customs Day 2023 rightly honoured the Customs profession. The Minister commended all Customs Officers for their dedication, hard work and professionalism despite their difficult work conditions.
Speaking about the theme of this year’s celebration, he remarked that it focused on maximising the potentials of the younger generation in the transformation process of Customs and expressed satisfaction as to the hiring of more than 175 young talents in the Customs Department over the last five years.
According to the Minister, these young officers had specific competences, talents, abilities and knowledge, particularly in using advanced technology, digital tools and processes which could be put to good use in the Customs environment.
Furthermore, Dr Padayachy laid emphasis on the need for the Customs Department to leverage on technology and digital solutions to implement effective controls and facilitate trade in this digital era.
He added that Government was providing unflinching support to MRA Customs to invest in emerging technologies and techniques such as artificial intelligence, block chain technology and big data analytics to enhance risk management and fraud detection capabilities.
Minister Padayachy underlined the key roles of the Customs in trade, which was vital for the economy, and in preventing the entry of illicit drugs and narcotics, arms and ammunitions that could, among others, have devastating consequences on society, threaten societal peace and harmony, and jeopardise safety and security.
Besides, the Minister reiterated his unflinching support to help MRA modernise Customs services with a view to facilitate trade and provide value-added services to its stakeholders.
“Key projects,” he pointed out, “include the setting up of the Integrated Customs Clearance Centre to the tune of Rs 650 M as well as the Integrated Single Window for Trade project for which Rs 500 M has been earmarked.
”
The Director-General of the MRA, for his part, highlighted that the Customs profession was a noble one, and added that Customs Officers and those working at the tax department perform their duty with the superior interest of the nation in mind.
He lauded their commitment and dedication to facilitate trade and protect society. He emphasised that the launching of the two new projects was in line with MRA’s commitment to continually improve and modernise its services, procedures and control methods.
He outlined key projects in the pipeline namely: the setting-up of an Integrated Single Window for Trade project; operationalising a modern Central Control Room equipped with state-of-the-art technology for the monitoring of strategic locations of the port at the Custom House ; the automation of Coastwise Trade aiming to ensure better and reliable statistics pertaining to coastwise trade and in particular with the Island of Rodrigues; operationalising a scanner that will serve to scan passengers’ luggage at Port Mathurin Passenger Terminal in Rodrigues; the setting-up of the Visit, Board Search and Seizure Simulator (VBS3/Ship-in–a-box) facility; and the setting-up of a Central Scanning Room to centralise and manage the two scanners situated at the Mauritius Container Terminal, amongst others.
Automated System for the Collection of Duties and Taxes The automated system for the collection of Duties and Taxes aims at simplifying the actual process of goods bought in excess of normal duty-free allowance by passengers at the MDFP and will facilitate duty free shopping by incoming and outgoing passengers including tourists.
Container Control Programme The CCP aims at enhancing maritime security and safety in East Africa, Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region. It falls under the broader Ports Security and Safety of Navigation programme which is implemented jointly by the Indian Ocean Commission, the UNODC, the International Maritime Organisation and INTERPOL.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
