BNA
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today attended the International Customs Day celebration held under his patronage.
HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister was accompanied by His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Isa bin Salman Educational Charitable Trust and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Labour Fund (Tamkeen).
Upon His Royal Highnesses’ arrival at the Public Security Officers Club, HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister was received by the Minister of Interior, HE General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and a number of senior officials.
His Royal Highness noted the importance of advancing the development of sectors that support economic growth in commercial and tourism, as well as logistic services, to drive economic diversification efforts.
HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad highlighted the importance of the implementation of the Kingdom’s strategies, programmes, development plans, and the continued efficiency of e-services, to further the Kingdom's comprehensive development led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
During the ceremony, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad launched the Customs Affairs’ virtual customer service centre, which contains seven communication channels and provides 22 services.
His Royal Highness noted the efforts of the Customs personnel in achieving the aspirations of the Customs Authority, one of the vital frontlines in safeguarding the Kingdom of Bahrain.
HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad expressed his gratitude to the Minister of Interior, the ministry’s personnel, and the employees of the Customs Affairs for further developing the customs services and keeping up to date with the latest develpoments.
His Royal Highness viewed a film which outlined the launch of the 2024-2027 strategic plan for Customs Affairs. The new plan will continue to build on the previous plan’s successes, especially the approach to integration with the Government Program, the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, and the directions of the World Customs Organization, in line with the Kingdom’s sustainable development goals.
His Royal Highness was briefed on the dashboard project, which enables senior management to analyse work-related information and review performance indicators, making decision-making more efficient.
This was followed by another briefing on the unified customs clearance centre, which was activated a year ago and works around the clock to provide electronic customs services related to the fields of export and import and unify procedures at all customs ports as well as the virtual customer service centre.
His Royal Highness honoured several Ministers and heads of institutions in appreciation of their roles in and contributions to the growth and development witnessed by the Kingdom of Bahrain under the leadership of His Majesty the King.
For his part, the Minister of Interior, on behalf of himself and the Ministry’s personnel expressed his gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for HM the King’s support of the Ministry's comprehensive development.
HE the Minister of Interior also expressed his gratitude on behalf of himself and the Interior Ministry's personnel, to His Royal Highness for his patronage of the ministry’s celebration of International Customs Day.
HE the Minister expressed the Ministry’s commitment to implementing the new strategy, over the coming years.
HE the Minister highlighted the importance of utilising modern technology and techniques to protect Bahrain’s borders, develop the capabilities of the Kingdom’s customs, and enhance travel and trade by facilitating procedures and following best practices.
HE the Minister expressed his pride in Bahrain Customs’ in providing highly efficient customs services that contribute to supporting the national economy.
The President of Customs Affairs, HE Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa, noted that Bahrain’s approach to its customs development has become a pioneering example to be emulated globally.
HE Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad affirmed Team Bahrain’s commitment to overcoming challenges, adding that Customs Affairs has become flexible and adaptable to changes, allowing creative thinking and the adoption of innovative methods.
HE, the President of Customs Affairs, noted that 97% of the 2021-2024 strategy has been completed.
It is worth noting that this year's International Customs Day celebration was held under the slogan, "Customs Engaging Traditional and New Partners with Purpose" and was organised by the Ministry of Interior.
The event was also attended by a number of senior officials.