Colonel Major Issa Coulibaly: Customs Services in Côte d’Ivoire

Interview with Colonel Major Issa Coulibaly, Director General of Ivorian Customs

What have been the greatest accomplishments of your service? What have you achieved recently?

Firstly, I wanted to talk about this rather marvellous legacy which has caused a lot of the countries of this region to be envious of us. We already have Togo knocking at the door wanting to convene with us to use the PVS (the simplified verbal process). Every time an infringement is raised, the verbal process established is no longer the paper version but a version which includes all elements of the infringement such as the operator, the merchandise and the country of origin. In fact, all of these elements characterising the infringement are entered electronically onto a database. Next, this database is assembled like a kind of laboratory which will be made available not only to assist custom inquiries but also to direct the work of its originators, and that really is a marvellous tool, of which we are very proud.

This increases our workload. Operators sometimes complain about inspections which are assessed on three points: excessive, redundant and sometimes exorbitant. We have elaborated this created effect far away from these decrees, the test procedures on customs control. Nowadays, customs control is a supervised business and the customs control official can no longer go into a controlled business like that no matter how or where. It is perhaps a little late now to go back and control something. This is done really to establish an effective control but one which, in the opinion of these companies, is not a tool central to economic activity. Even so, this has been a step forward for us.

We also have what we call the Kyoto convention. Up until 2012, Côte d’Ivoire had put into practice around 80% of the Kyoto convention recommendations, which is a convention on the simplification of procedures on a worldwide scale according to customs’ codes. This convention has succeeded in depositing instruments of ratification and the Côte d’Ivoire is now a part of those countries that not only admire the revised Kyoto convention but also gave consent to it. We are also very proud of this and our customs’ codes.

Imagine, back in 1964 when we spoke of commerce and its provisions, these are no longer current and not applicable to everyone. It was necessary to revise it and to synchronise it with provisions of the WAEMU Community. We are therefore getting closer to achieving the project. It is already in the hands of the government and we are explaining to them how to adapt it in order to have a legal instrument in a legal framework, which gels with the reality of today with the past. Those are the things I wanted to remind you of to explain what we have been able to achieve lately with the plan and on the reforms.

Could you make an assessment of the current situation and your long term objectives? What would you like to achieve? What is the current situation?

Naturally, the immediate objectives are the revenue targets. For this year we have around 1278 billion to achieve in the year. Evidently, for the period January to September, we have already reached around 845- 890 billion out of 859 of the targets that we need to achieve (that is the immediate objective). Next, it is absolutely necessary that we achieve a one stop shop with our joint operator, our economic operator. The one stop shop is truly going to allow us to combat fraud, to facilitate procedures and to decrease merchandise customs’ clearance times. We have a fixed objective of 48 hours for a number of reasons. As customs is not the only link in the chain when certain tasks are done, they are still unable to reach this target. It is absolutely necessary that they have this one stop shop in place to be able to deliver within 48 hours and to facilitate this process.

It is absolutely essential that we move towards electronic payments. Electronic payments will allow us to fight against prohibited goods and people who abide by State rules would not wish to reverse it. We must establish this payment method as it enables us to clean up embezzlement of the public, as the customs code dictates. These are the terms for the inland countries such as Burkina Faso and Mali, for interconnecting transit control for the fight against fraud and against activity such as unfair repayments. There were businesses who benefited from this temporary transformation assignment and must re-export merchandise issued during this transformation making improvements to transfer merchandise from here. Not only can they not pay for the rights for raw materials, but they want to abuse the services. All of that plus the interconnections will enable us to have true information in real time allowing us to verify a system of destination countries to check if merchandise has actually arrived at its destination. We have eight airports set up to fight fraud and to control these special regions.

How can you be helped? Who can help you? How would people benefit if they want to collaborate with you on a European or worldwide scale?

Firstly, there is the concept of globalisation which accompanies us. The in-depth nature of our IT system means we are currently at stage two version and the reinforcement of our IT technician staffing has allowed us to push further towards electronic payments and to achieve the one stop shop for foreign trade. We think therefore that an organisation such as Agricet could be extremely useful. We also rely on the interconnecting links between countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and even Ghana. At present, it is a project which we have advanced sufficiently in Burkina Faso but not yet with Mali. It is essential that we have the financial means, the materials and electronic equipment. It is necessary to have partners to help and support us. If the European Union could support us in that sense, we have the advantage of knowing that it already sufficiently funds Passy and with so many things to be done a partner would always be helpful. We rely heavily on our partner companies in that area.

Something which is always a cause for concern is the management of merchandise. We have completely forgotten to extend the services of private operators controlling the union as we do not have sufficient means and the technical equipment to capture the number of unloaded containers. We are still using the old method which consists of looking at and raising unloaded containers are from large carriers as the traffic increases. Officials must be able to do this. We forgot to entrust this to a private operator. However, if customs had the ability, they could do it themselves. Therefore a partner could help us to acquire this equipment.

It allows you to automatically read the containers’ numbers, counting them at the same time. It does it so well that if there are containers which have not yet been unloaded; it allows us to take control of the exact numbers because everything leaves from that point. If the control is well done, everything is put into the system, so at any point, you can retrace and find anything which has managed to escape or anyone who has not paid tax etc. Despite the use of IT nowadays, the lack of provisions is the Achilles heel of our system.

In terms of training, do you also need help?

Of course. You have allowed me to come back to one of our projects which we hold very dear. There are two customs courts. There is the so called active court which controls and ensures the surveillance of operations along with the fight against contraband in companies. Then there are those who took care of commercial operations in offices and with on going developments we have merged all these schools. Training took back then but nowadays not many really know how to conduct a surveillance test.

Our ambition is to have a customs training school and along with that we are launching an appeal to all our partners. All the partners could help us to have a related customs training school as today we only have training centres which can only train officials to a certain level. All the others are trained in l’ENA (The national school of administration.) As an administrator t is good to have a culture of togetherness. The training in general is good but nowadays customs is becoming more complicated. There are new subjects developing and we need a school in the same way that we have a police training school. It is desirable and moreover urgent to have a training school for customs so that we are informed administrators when leaving l’ENA but also that officials are trained in tax etc. This is essential.

Even investigative techniques are the kinds of things which we should avoid when graduating from our training schools. I look at officials these days who know how to control an internal team. Training has been abandoned and if we had a proper training school we could teach the officials at l’ENA. Their specialisation will be better managed and this would contribute to a more rational execution of service. It is what has been launched this week.

Are you talking about fiscal transition?

Yes, of course. We are talking about fiscal transition because without revenue naturally is a country that does not develop. So the essential thing is that tax is going to be collected internally. Customs must be organised to properly protect economic spaces with high level surveillance by customs. Before we get there and for many years to come, our countries’ Customs Revenue should continue to organise and reinforce the fight against fraud and the fight against sub factions and against contraband so we maximise our revenue to prepare us better to face fiscal transition. We are currently preparing the transition, we still have people passing through developed countries who understand nothing about the role of customs but here State revenue is essential to develop for some years yet, that will be the main source of income.

Are you looking for partners?

I already mentioned our traditional partners but we are asking for any volunteers who would like to support us, to help us reinforce our competence. If I take, for example, officials in management, they need to be educated in accounting techniques for financial analysis. They will need training for so many things. It will be essential for them to know how to read an assessment, how to make an operating account, how to interpret all the figures that a financial analyst does daily. We also need the support of a partner in these areas. We will benefit from any partners who may wish to join us.

Can you summarise your future plan? Imagine projecting the business for 4 or 5 years. If you had a magic wand and you had reached all of your objectives, what would you like to achieve?

The revenue objectives of the State are fixed. For example in the current year or even in 5 years time it is essential to reach the 2014 objective i.e.72 billion and by 2015 we must achieve 2,382 billion.

What are your visions, strategies, and what do you dream of?

I dream that our customs are like those of developed countries, like those you see at airports like Roissy (to quote a country whose history we know of). You ask yourself if customs are in place, well they are. They have subtle risk analysis techniques to the extent that before the traveller even retrieves his suitcase, he already knows who has control over it and who he must meet.

These customs are effective so I would like to establish customs which perform well but are modern in terms of their method and customs for citizens that respect people’s rights. Economic operators and travellers are amongst those who cross borders as customs is like a glass window. As you have a rapport with investors, you can continue this within a country, to carry out projects and either come back or take your suitcase and never return. Customs are found at the airport and therefore that is where I would establish effective customs but with modern analysis methods which allow the pre-selection of control before the merchandise even arrives. Nowadays we call this anticipated declaration. This is receiving all documents electronically from boarding countries before they even have time to put the containers on board.

In this manner, merchandise is unloaded here and everything is already done in customs even before the merchandise is unloaded at the port. This is the kind of customs we dream of which allows us to dream and contribute competitively to business by the quality of these procedures and the quality of its staff. If you ask me about future prospects, these are the customs I dream of having.

I know people have advanced but it doesn’t mean we have to make the same mistakes as they did. We can be inspired by their examples and learn from the errors they made during the process of modernisation in order to capitalise on what we have already done. I desire a customs which is effective and less visible. I admire successful administration and I want it to be an effective customs, a customs which is responsive and works alongside our activities to make them competitive. Customs is no longer just a collector of taxes but must also play an important part in developing international business and a promoting national businesses as that is also our role. It is true that we often don’t open our doors to other countries but trend must change and evolve as developed countries will depend less on foreign assets.

What is your message?

Earlier I spoke about reforms, things we have achieved. All of this goes hand in hand with a quality policy which succeeded in the certification of all areas of the office following 2008 airport and port regulations so we are certified. We wait to follow the certification process. We are waiting to follow the certification process for all of our services and even internally.

Do you have other things planned?

Yes, for the reader and internet surfers, Perhaps figures aren’t really significant for European readers and those surfing the internet. However, for us these reforms in their entirety have allowed us to reach results in terms of figures. We have, for the first time in history of our work and the history of WAEMU’s customs, exceeded our targets. In 2013 we had the target of reaching 1575 billion and we have achieved 1,129 billion anyway. Even so we have an achievement rate of 76%. It is for the first time in our history that administration has reached its revenue target. In 2011 we came out of the crisis where work tools were completely decimated. We had an objective of 743.17 thousand. Even so we managed to achieve 831 billion with one or two percent revenue. We have exceeded this.

In 2012, for example, we had 940 billion to find and we reached the figure of 914 billion. As you see reforms have enabled us to reach results in terms of the objectives which the state set us. I think that is important to highlight to Europeans that if they come to the Côte d’Ivoire there are customs with effective and modern methods and they can come here without any worries. We are here to accompany them and if they want to work in terms of the expansion, it will be well controlled. We will explain the procedures to them, their facilities and trade because there is a big volume of contribution to trade development. Customs are reaching their targets and this will be helped by partners helping to fight against contraband, counterfeit and against fraud in general. We will reinforce the expertise of our officials in terms of accounting techniques e to be able to control fraud. We really want to launch something to attract partners and volunteers who could accompany us along the way. We want an emerging customs for an emerging country.

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