Dubai Customs’ efforts towards stimulating innovation culminated in a new summit of generating quality ideas conducive to innovations that improve and take customs work to the next level. The total number of innovative ideas generated and submitted by employees since the launch of the e-suggest system in 2000 reached more than 43,000 until the end of the first half of 2020.

The ideas submitted by DC staff over this period translated into the development of 268 disruptive innovations covering all aspects of customs work, with the help of more than 75 in-house innovators and inventors. This has led Dubai Customs to receive over 130 local and global awards of excellence.

Dubai Customs staff developed 32 disruptive innovations last year, raising the number of innovations developed between 2010 and 2020 to 237. As a result, Dubai Customs had received over 127 local and global awards of excellence by the end of 2020.

Dubai Customs’ innovation systems received 83.9 per cent happiness rate from employees and customers, while the rate of complaints on these systems stood at less than 1.4 per cent which is an excellent achievement compared to the Government of Dubai’s permissible 10 per cent. The percentage of ideas processed and followed up on within 15 business days is 92 per cent, with 55 per cent of these ideas qualified as feasible during the first half of 2021 of which 35 per cent have been implemented.

Hussein Al Fardan, Director of Dubai Customs Innovation centre, said: “These achievements would not have been attained if it were not for the senior leadership’s belief in the importance of innovation and their encouragement for employees to constantly come up with new ideas and innovations that drive trade and customs business forward.” This strategic vision has proved successful in placing Dubai Customs at the forefront of leading government organizations worldwide in terms of creativity and innovation, explained Al Fardan.

Dubai Customs launched in the first half of 2021 the first Innovation League between customs departments and centers to create a large competitive environment among them that supports the innovation process to put forward new ideas and innovations aimed at addressing the challenges faced by the department. In this perspective, the Innovation centre has concluded 38 workshops for the First Innovation League, including 25 inductions and 13 workshops to look into the challenges and opportunities. In the next stage, teams participating in the tournament will come together to generate innovative solutions and ideas for these challenges. More than 180 customs officers and staff participated in these stages which resulted in 335 real customs challenges in various organizational units and functional levels.

Dubai Customs recently launched a comprehensive guide for all the services and facilities it provides to enable traders and businesses, who selected Dubai as their preferred investment destination, to increase their trade and boost their revenues.

The guide will be introduced to the participants and exhibitors of Expo 2020 Dubai.

Within the national efforts and preparations to fulfil the requirements of the bold plans and agendas including the UAE Centennial 2071 and the 50th year Jubilee, Dubai Customs has built a sophisticated smart network of channels that adds a big value to any business activity.

These included the Smart Expo 2020 Customs Channel, dedicated to serving the exhibitors at the global event. The channel was part of the UAE’s nomination portfolio in 2013 to host Expo 2020 in Dubai. Customs centres at Jebel Ali and Al Maktoum International Airport will help complete all EXPO’s customs transactions around the clock to ensure streamlined and quick customs processes, following directions of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

Dubai showed quick recovery from the repercussions of COVID-19 in different economic sectors thanks to the resilient strategies and plans the emirate followed in the face of the pandemic.

The trade sector continued its growth exceeding the pre-COVID-19 period. Transactions completed by Dubai Customs reached 11.2 million transactions in the first half of 2021, staggeringly growing 53.4 per cent from 7.3 million transactions in the corresponding period in 2020. This reflects a versatile and resilient economy that can absorb severe shocks like that caused by the pandemic. It also reflects the vital role Dubai plays as a global trade hub and the resilience of its infrastructure and systems in dealing with tough challenges including COVID-19. “Dubai is leading the global recovery way. The emirate’s non-oil external trade grew 10 percent to Dhs354.4 billion in Q1, 2021, from Dhs323 billion in the corresponding period in 2020,” said Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director-General of Dubai Customs.

WAM