BY NDUMBE BELL GASTON IN DOUALA
The sum of FCFA 800 billion net revenue was collected in the 2017 fiscal year by the customs service of Cameroon.The disclosure was made during the celebrations of the 10th edition of the Stakeholders Night at the Sawa Hotel last Friday February 2.
At the occasion which was massively attended by General Managers of e-Cam, Mecam, GICAM the Chamber of Commerce, the Governor and bigwigs of the Littoral Region, CEMAC officials, BEAC representatives, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises representatives, seaport and airport stakeholders, the Director of the Customs Service in Cameroon, Edwin Fongod, thanked all those whose presence helped to signify the importance of the occasion, which was under the patronage of the Minister of Finance, Alamine Ousman Mey.
Edwin Fongod enumerated other achievements among which were the introduction of reforms, the organization of fora for enterprises, stringent controls on illicit trade transactions, encouraging results in improving quality service, the sanitization of the commercial environment, the reduction of costs and delays, and measures to increase the budgetary and economic performances, among others.
He similarly stated that partnerships with stakeholders such as Eneo, CEMAC, Nigerian and Korean customs, the EU, the MINFi, MINEPAT, the World Customs Organisation , among others, have grown successfully in quantitative and qualitative terms.
He told stakeholders that the World Customs Organisation has dedicated 2018 to the slogan “Secure business environment for economic development”.
The Customs Head emphasized on the importance of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the economy especially in fulfilling budgetary objectives.
“In 2017 SMEs represented 68% of customs operations with about 102.000 declarations, 12% transactions values, 31% of customs duties valued at FCFA 233 billion. This included special customs incentives such as 5% bonded warehouse operations by SMEs of which 429 SMEs benefitted from. FCFA 30 billion granted to SMEs as tax expenditures. The bonded facilities amounted to FCFA 19.5 billion representing 28% of all transactions”, Fongod Edwin recounted.
Even though all these efforts are not yet the best, Fongod reckoned, the customs service will continue to find solutions to the amelioration of competitivity and best practice, with the collaboration of all the stakeholders.
The representative of the stakeholders, who is the General Manager of Brasseries du Cameroun (SABC), told the customs department, the Ministry of Finance and stakeholders that they should pride themselves for having contributed to the livelihood of this economy despite the serious economic challenges faced in 2017.
According to him, this was the fruit of constant dialogue between MINFI, the Customs and business partners. The Les Brasseries boss called on reforms especially in reducing cost and delays to continue among others.
The Minister of Finance, Alamine Oussman Mey on his part, encouraged and appreciated the efforts of stakeholders like those to be rewarded, to continue to seek the road to excellence. He, not only reiterated the efforts of reducing cost and delays, he qualified the achievements of stakeholders and customs for having scored 91% of the assigned objectives as satisfactory and prayed for their continuous collaborations.
Hundred of enterprises took back meritorious awards in different categories of business performances.