The Director General of Customs and Indirect Rights, in his vision of making the Customs Administration a modern, efficient and transparent institution, placed particular emphasis on strengthening the capacity of customs officials through the regular organization of restitution sessions. These sessions provide opportunities for the entire Administration to share experiences gained during missions abroad, to review ongoing reforms to keep customs officials at the same level of information.

To this end, a restitution session was held on Monday, 09 April 2018, during which six (06) themes were presented. These are:

• Presentation of the 2017 Activity Report of the DGDDI;

Presented by the Director of the Private Office, Mr Raouf Malèhossou ABOUDOU, the report of activities of the Beninese customs respond to concerns, transparency, reporting to serve all stakeholders in a world of globalization and constant change.

Articulated around eight (08) chapters, this report traces all the activities carried out during 2017 by the various dismemberments of the Directorate-General for Customs and Indirect Rights in the framework of the tasks assigned to it, and is as follows:

• I- Benin Customs Strategic Plan 2017-2019
• II- Benin Customs in figures
• III - Trade facilitation and business assistance
• IV - Benin Customs at the heart of reforms
• V- Status of Customs officials and training
• VI- Zoom in on Departmental Directorates
• VII- Focus on the activities of a particular Central Technical Directorate: the General Inspectorate of Services (IGS)
• VIII- Sports and other activities

This presentation allowed customs officials present to read the contents of the report and make proposals to improve the 2018 edition.

• Restitution of training on security border management methods and techniques;

This presentation was made by the customs officials, Christian GLIDJA, Mamoudou SALIFOU, Agueh BINESSI, respectively Inspectors and Customs Controller, appointed to take part in the training on safe border management methods and techniques organized at the International Academy of Enforcement of the Act from 26 February to 02 March 2018 in Gaborone, Botswana.

The purpose of the training organized by the US authorities was to strengthen the capacity of police, customs and immigration officers in five (05) West African countries, including Benin, on international border intervention techniques.

On this occasion, the Embassy of the United States near Benin, represented by Mr Gérard k. ADJE welcomed the initiative of the Customs Administration, which not only honoured him by inviting him to this restitution session, but also by sharing this training received by some officials with other officials of the Administration. This is very rare in other public administrations.

• Report of the working visit of BRRC-WCO experts ;

Presented by the Chairman of the Steering Committee, Dr Idrissou IMOROU, this self-assessment report highlights the level of implementation of the 2013–2017 Regional Strategic Plan by the Benin Customs Administration and the recommendations resulting from the findings of this self-assessment.

• Implementation of brigade services;

This presentation by Mr Anatole SOSSA, Departmental Director of Atlantic and Littoral, was an opportunity to recall the fundamental principles governing the delivery of services. Compliance with service orders, service records and reports, compliance with the requirements of the Code of Ethics and good conduct during the execution of the various services were discussed.

• Update on the implementation of reforms;

In the course of this presentation by Mr Benjamin KOUAGOU, Inspector of Customs, all the reforms implemented within the Customs Administration as part of its modernisation were discussed, in particular the IMF assisted reforms, those led by the technical partner Benin Control SA (AVD, tracking, scanning, etc.) and those entrusted to the Webb Fontaine group in the framework of institutional and computer reforms (OAS Programme, GUCE,...).

• Report of the work on the return, reclassification and progress.

The sixth point relates to the work on reversion, reclassification and progress.