Dubai Customs held its 4th Consultative Council in 2022 amid positive expectations of further economic growth and recovery in Dubai. H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs, CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation stressed that the UAE, being a role model in different fields, has successfully overcome the covid-19 obstacle, which makes it a source of pride for all citizens and residents living on the Emirati soil.
The UAE achieved the first place globally in 156 indicators and remained in the top ten in 432 indicators. The value of foreign trade for the first half of the year exceeded one trillion dirhams, and revenues of tourism grew to more than AED 19 billion, Musabih said.
The meeting was held in the presence of Yousef Al-Hashimi, (Acting) Executive Director, Customer Management Division, Edris Behzad, Director of Client Happiness Department, and representatives of business groups in Dubai; members of the Council,.
In his opening statement, Musabih said; “We are proud of our wise leadership which moves forward to achieve sustainable development, our advancement and prosperity in all fields. We congratulate our wise leadership, citizens and residents of the UAE on the 51st National Day. It is an opportunity for all of us to renew our loyalty to the country and the leadership, and to pledge to continue our hard work and dedication to build a better future for the next generations as part of the national vision, which sees the UAE the best country in the world in its centennial year in 2071.
Dubai Customs performed well in 2022, with the percentage of our client happiness with our smart systems and programs rising to 98%. We completed 19 million transactions in the first nine months of this year, compared to 17.6 million transactions for the same period last year, growing 8%, while the number of customs declarations increased to 16.6 million, compared to 15.6 million. We aim to consolidate Dubai’s leading position in the global trade in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai which sees Dubai trade reach AED2 trillion.
Bader Al-Kharoosi, Head of Solution Delivery at Dubai Customs delivered a presentation on the Smart Workspace, which adds great value to the clients’ business and activities. The smart platform facilitates different customs services especially customs declarations, which can be completed now in only 4 to 5 minutes saving 1.4 million man-hours and AED 68 million annually. Customs declarations used to consume 1.76 million man-hours a year. The annual cost in the traditional way was AED 85 million.
Madhi Madathil, Board Member, Dubai Shipping Agents Association delivered a presentation on Supply Chain Challenges. He said the global supply chain is facing a number of challenges including delay in shipments due to the measures and restrictions taken by counties affected by the pandemic, geopolitical factors, and inflation.
Madhu pointed out that the pandemic has accelerated the transition to digitalization.
Dr Kanak Madrecha, Excellence Advisor, delivered a presentation titled “Using Excellence Award Models in Businesses in Dubai”. He said excellence is vital for success, growth and survival of businesses and this UAE has adopted several models of excellence to grow the economy. The gross domestic product grew to AED1.499 trillion in 2021 from AED1.442 trillion in 2020, and is expected to reach AED 3 trillion in line with Vision 2031.
Kanak said excellence awards aim to enhance a culture of corporate excellence and raise happiness of clients, employees, and service providers.