WINDHOEK – During the local celebration of World International Customs Day here on Monday, Minister of Finance, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, appealed to Namibian customs officials to ensure that the newly launched Customs and Excise Employee Code of Ethics be interpreted to practically achieve deliverable results.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila launched the Customs and Excise Employee Code of Ethics at the Government Office Park in Windhoek, to coincide with World International Customs Day. The annual commemoration is usually held on January 26, but since that day fell on a Sunday this year the ministry hosted the event on Monday, February 3, under the theme “Communication: Sharing Information for better cooperation.”
“You are the primary champions in the immediate implementation of the code of ethics, hence we expect you to set up measurable targets based on these key factors,” noted Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said. The list of ethics remind customs officials that the public should expect all customs employees to be honest, impartial and professional; that they should maintain an environment, which encourages ethical behaviour among all customs employees, and that they should report inappropriate behaviour.
“I wish to re-emphasise that if an organisation like Customs and Excise does not constantly monitor and adapt its operations to the changing environment within which it operates, it is destined to fail to deliver on its mandate. In the face of these conflicting but dynamic forces lies a critical need on our part as the Namibia Customs and Excise administration to pause and examine our economic and social projections, and benchmark them against international best practices,” Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said.
World International Customs Day was designated by the Customs Cooperation Council and is celebrated by customs officials across the world. Customs is described as part of the globalization process that enables citizens throughout the world to travel, discover the planet and move goods across territorial boundaries.
By Staff Reporter