The Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze, has commissioned a Working Group, which is expected to prepare the right framework for an upgrade of Customs into the National Defense and Security community, in accordance with the prescription of the Head of State. It is comprised of Customs and Experts from other administrations. The commissioning ceremony took place in the conference room of MINFI on Wednesday, January 15, 2022. According to the Minister, the creation of the Working Group and subsequent commissioning of its members comes following the recognition by the Head of State, for the excellent performance by the Customs department in ensuring security. Speaking after their commissioning the Minister said that, the Head of State has recognized what the Customs department is doing as they play a key role in security. That they are doing a lot in ensuring security as such they should be part of the Security body. But for this to be possible, changes are to be carried out in the regulation and the organization of the Ministry of Finance as well as in the Customs department, he added. This is what is expected from the members of the Working Group from the Customs department and Experts from other Administrations like Defense, the Police, Justice, Public Service etc. According to an official note from the Presidency of the Republic, “They are required to carry out the Customs upgrade project, for its integration into the National Defense and Security community and in conjunction with other Services of the sector”. The decision to include the Customs department into the National Defense and Security is not by chance. They have achieved alot. Customs do not only bear the attributes of “gendarme of the economy”, but increasingly participate in the protection of society against proteiforme security threats, seizure of psychotropic products, stupefiants, dual use of chemicals and associated materials used in the manufacture of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), Weapons and ammunition and other prohibitions effectively contributing to the influence of the security dimension of Cameroon Customs. Customs and Security therefore are one and the same. Reason why with the resurgence of acts of terrorism, the General Policy Commission on the World Custom Organization (WCO) published in 2015, the Punta Cana Resolution, by which mandate is given to Customs to place security problems at the heart of its mission. The Working Group is therefore required to propose to the Government the elements of a harmonious anchoring, an efficient organization and an adapted functioning, able to allow Customs to play its difficult role of protecting the national economy space and society, at the dawn of the new Security Context. The Working Group is expected to capitalizing on the resolutions of the National Forum on Customs Surveillance, held from August 10 – 11, 2020 at the NOMAYOS Customs Instruction Center while relaying on three draft texts prepared by the team formed the day after the said days of exchanges and reflection, namely; – The draft Decree amending and supplementing Decree N° 2013/066 of February 26, 2013, on the organization of the Ministry of Finance; – The draft Decree on the Special Status of the civil servant body of the Customs Administration; – The draft Decree on the General Disciplinary Regulations of the Customs Administration. The Minister invited the Chair of the Group to make use of Experts capable of contributing to the success of this mission.
