The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
BORDER points of entry are a security zone where touts must not be seen loitering as they disturb the smooth flow of business as well as fuel criminal activities, Finance and Economic Development Deputy Minister, Honourable Clemence Chiduwa has said.
The theme of the International Customs Day celebrations, this year is: “Nurturing the next generation: promoting a culture of knowledge — sharing and professional pride in customs.”
Deputy Minister Chiduwa said this while delivering a keynote address during the 2023 International Customs Day commemorations held at a local hotel in Mutare.
“The ongoing installation of modern cargo scanners and other technologies that enhance security at border entry points is vital in the fight against smuggling at our border entry points. This is a step in the direction for us as a country.
“However, we implore for the removal of touts at border entry points. This is an area where we have serious problems with. Border entry points are a security zone that should be cleared of touts. Apart from disturbing the smooth flow of business, the presence of touts at border entry points fuel criminal activities,” said Deputy Minister Chiduwa.
Speaking during the same function, Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Batsirai Chadzingwa, who delivered the Secretary General of the World Customs Organisation, Mr Kunio Mikuriya’s speech, hailed this year’s theme as relevant and important.
“This is about placing human capital and especially the new generation at the heart of the transformation of Customs — an approach the WCO has been advocating for a number of years. Young Customs officers often have particular strengths, but they need to acquire specific, and often tacit, knowledge and know-how. This approach to learning must be rooted in the culture of the administration, holding true throughout the officers’ careers.
“It requires, not only dynamic inter-generational relationships, but also an outward-looking attitude characterised by exchanges with the actors engaged in the movement of goods and passengers, as well as with service providers and with academia,” he said.
In line with the theme, ZIMRA has prioritised the investment in improving the customs literacy of its staff thus Commissioner General, Ms Regina Chinamasa, said: “ZIMRA is in partnership with several development agencies that offer a variety of technical assistance and capacity building programmes which empower both the current and the next generation of professionals within the organisation.
“The Authority has collaborated with the following organisations for technical assistance and capacity building: World Customs Organisation, International Monetary Fund, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Southern Africa Development Committee (SADC), Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), African Development Bank, World Bank, African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), United National Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, (OECD).
“Such partnerships have seen 425 ZIMRA staff members across all divisions receiving capacitation in different areas in the year 2022.”
January 26 of every year is an important day on the customs calendar, as stakeholders in the industry gather to commemorate and celebrate the role played by Customs, clearing agents, freight forwarders and other border stakeholders in facilitating international trade.
