Minister of Transport and Communications, H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti (centre) with the Chairman of General Authority of Customs, Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Jamal (right) and Director General of Public Security Staff Major General, Saad bin Jassim Al Khulai
Marking International Customs Day, the General Authority of Customs yesterday announced the launching Al Nadeeb 2 project.
The International Customs Day was marked at Shertaon Hotel under the slogan ‘Smart borders for seamless Trade, Travel and Transport’, which was attended by Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Chairman of the General Authority of Customs Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Jamal, and a large number of officials from different ministries and the General Authority of Customs.
At the event, outstanding officials of the General Authority of Customs were honoured with certificates of appreciation by H E the Minister of Transport and Communications.
Announcing the launch of the Al Nadeeb 2 project, Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Jamal said that the second phase of the customs clearance single window ‘Al Nadeeb 2’ was set to be launched in 2018 but after evaluating the situation, the Authority re-engineered only the first phase of the project. He said that there will be a significant shift in the program to enhance the movement of foreign trade between Qatar and other countries.
Talking to media persons after the event on Authority’s role in selective taxation, Al Jamal said that the Authority has a key role in this matter because the Customs collect the selective tax and check the transactions and goods that carry the symbols or specifications of the goods that were imposed with selective taxes in coordination with the General Tax Authority.
On average time of release of goods by the General Authority of Customs, the Chairman said that it was less than one hour in about 85 percent of the unrestricted goods. “For the goods restricted to the government bodies, the average release time is 3 hours.”
As for the new 2018-22 customs strategy, Al Jamal noted that the new strategic plan was launched in December last year for which the Authority adopted a results-based planning approach. “The strategic plan includes 14 projects and programs related to the development of the internal environment of the Authority and the development of systems and procedures and mechanisms of action, including 7 programs which the Authority indirectly contributes in coordination with ministries and government agencies of the country.”
During the ceremony, Al Jamal announced the launch of the electronic shipping initiative of imported air cargo.
Al Jamal pointed out that the system of work has been unified with the partners in air cargo customs through coordination with 53 major companies in addition to courier companies whose imports account for 80 percent of the volume of imports by air cargo in cooperation with Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport.
On the Bachelor of Border Management program, he explained that this program is implemented by the Authority for its employees and is for 4 years, in collaboration with the Community College of Qatar and the Institute of Customs and Tax Studies at Charles Sturt University in Australia, and 40 staff members of the Authority joined it.
Earlier in his speech, Al Jamal, said that customs bodies in the world are celebrating this year the International Customs Day under the slogan of “Smart borders for seamless Trade, Travel and Transport”, which emphasizes the role of customs as a main focal point for communication and coordination among all government agencies in ports and borders.
He pointed out that Al Nadeeb system has proven its ability and effectiveness in completing more than 10 million customs declarations since its establishment, which facilitated the flow of goods to and from the State, as well as providing accurate statistics and studies for import and export operations.
