<<Print>>

President John Dramani Mahama has tasked Directors General from Western and Central Africa Region who attended the 18th conference of the World Customs Organisation in Accra to give priority attention to the use of modern technology in their operations. He said the technology is available and they must gather the will to apply it to achieve efficiency. President Mahama said this when the Directors General and Custom Administrators called on him at the Flagstaff House. He appealed to Customs Authorities to brainstorm to find workable ways of generating revenue and how to avoid perennial cross border crisis. He said most developing countries depend solely on custom duties hence the need for the personnel to rake in more duties in order to facilitate the development agenda. The delegation included Mr Mikuriya Kunio, Secretary General of the World Customs Organisation. The members, made up of 23 African Countries are currently attending a conference in Accra. President Mahama said the conference was instrumental as the Economic Community of West African Countries had also signed protocols on the free movements of goods and services among member countries. He said there was the need for the West African sub-region to implement the ECOWAS protocols to facilitate the free movement of people and goods at the borders of member countries. �Although we have over the years signed these ECOWAS protocols, it is still a problem trying to get your goods and services across other countries without any hindrance�, President Mahama stressed. Mr Kunio said the conference would give member countries the opportunity to adopt border protection measures that would help them reduce the incidence of crime and increase revenue generation. He said the conference would also equip member countries to step up their trade links and devise ways that would enhance growth and development in their countries.