DUBAI: Dubai Customs’ Advisory Council, chaired by H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, has held a meeting to discuss initiatives and projects to be launched up to 2017, as well as reinforce cooperation and communication between DC and business groups in the emirate.
The meeting was attended by Juma Al Ghaith, Executive Director of Customs Development and Deputy Chairman of the Advisory Council, Abdullah Mohammed Al Khaja, Executive Director of Customer Management and Council member, Saeed Ahmed Al Tayer, Acting Executive Director of Policies and Legislation and Council member, Edris Behzad, Director of Client Management Department and rapporteur, in addition to heads and representatives of business groups- members of the council.
H.E. Ahmed Mahboob has ratified new set of procedures to further enhance the Council’s work mechanism.
The Council agreed to appoint liaison officers from the Client Management at DC for every business group for better coordination between the two sides. They also discussed a suggestion made by the National Association of Freight & Logistics to link dnata’s goods storage system with the facility to request customs inspection booking.
“Dubai Customs pays utmost attention to enhancing customer happiness, in line with the “Happiness Meter”initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for measuring the public happiness and satisfaction over government services. Our new initiatives are channelled towards facilitating procedures and making our clients happy,” stated DC Director.
“Through the Advisory Council, our partners have become major partners in the process of making decisions relevant to their business, as part of DC’s strategy to incorporate stakeholders’ feedbackas the basis for identifying and prioritizing improvement opportunities,” Mahboob added.
On his part, Juma Al Ghaith, Executive Director of Customs Development Division, and Deputy Chairman of the Advisory Council, stated: “Dubai Customs is very keen on putting in innovative initiatives that keep pace with the latest customer service delivery technology and practices worldwide, in pursuance of the public happiness-related perspective of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. DC is going to launch a number of new development projects geared towards modernizing and further streamlining its Customs servicesahead of Expo 2020, in conformity with Dubai Plan 2021.”
Dubai Customs recently announced new initiatives upgrading its smart services, after it fully transformed into the first smart government department in 2013, delivering 100% of its services around the clock on smart devices. “This ambitious transformation has made our services more seamless, easily accessible as well as cost and time saving,” said Al Ghaith
The Executive Director of Customer Management Division at DC, Abdullah Mohammed Al Khaja said that “Dubai Customsis committed to involving its stakeholders in all of its projects from initial stages to completion in order to meet clients’ expectations. Moreover, we strive to step up the quality of customs services and facilitate legitimate trade, in a bid to strengthen Dubai’s economy and make it the destination of choice for investors and traders.”
Reflecting on the history of the Advisory Council at DC, Edris Behzad, Director of Client Management Department, said that it was established in 2009 with memberships of 15 business groups that represent various economic sectors in Dubai. The Council convenes 4 times a year with the intents of creating a bond of mutual trust between DC and its stakeholders, reinforcing an approach for open interaction with clients, identifying obstacles that face business groups while dealing with Customs, getting client feedback and finding ways to overcome these obstacles, as per effective legislations and procedures.
H.E Ahmed Mahboob Musabih welcomed a suggestion proposed by The head of the Indian Crafts Council, in holding designated workshops for the working group in order to introduce Dubai Plan 2021, which comes in line with Dubai Customs role in raising the awareness of society and in streamlining information to clients’ in particular. Furthermore, Ahmed Mahboob directed the concerned Department to execute this suggestion and to begin with the first workshop as of the beginning of May, 2015.
On his part, the Director General of the Textile Trade working group, Mr. Rabi Boshin, commended the collaboration and coordination held with Dubai Customs as well as the exquisite services provided by the Department, which is of great influence upon boosting and facilitating trade. While reducing cost and time at the same level.
Furthermore, Mr. Kevin Ennis, the Vice President of the National Association of Freights and Logistics (NAFL), suggested introducing a system which links dnata’s storing system with the booking of a customs inspection service, in order to further facilitate Customs procedures. H.E Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, as well welcomed this proposition and ordered the formation of a joint working team with dnata group in order to investigate the feasibility of actuating this idea.
