The Customs department has fetched FCFA 153.9 billion for the State coffers for the third quarter of the ongoing fiscal year. The amount represents a 101 per cent performance rate vis-à-vis the task assigned the department for this period which was to collect FCFA 151.7 billion. The performance represents a 5 per cent improvement from last year's performance during which FCFA 146.8 billion was collected during the same period in 2011.

The Director General of Customs, Minette Libom Li Likeng, made the disclosure yesterday Thursday October 18 during the fourth coordination meeting for the year. She told the press that the good performance, motivated by the reforms put in place to modernise the customs administration, is the customs department's contribution to the Head of State's Greater Accomplishment Programme. She revealed that of the FCFA 550 billion expected from the customs department this year, the customs administration, as at the third quarter, has already hit over FCFA 500 billion and hopes are rife that at year's end, it would have gone beyond its expected recovery target. "We are moblised, ready and willing for we want to reach our goal and this fourth coordination meeting is to discuss how we can improve our way of working so that at the end of the year, we are going to enjoy again because we would have reached and gone beyond the FCFA 550 billion," Mrs. Libom Li Likeng said.

Yesterday's meeting was also to draw a balance sheet of the path the customs administration has covered in government's fight against price hike, reduction of the time goods take to be cleared at the Douala seaport as well as ethics that the officials need to inculcate so as to live up to expectations. The Director General rejoiced with the recent holding in Douala from September 22 - 26 of a weeklong workshop to seek ways of facilitating the transit of goods within the CEMAC sub-region. "For the first time, it was recognised that the delays at the port are not due to customs administration, which was hailed by all, but as a result of other actors in the clearance chain. But all actors, as was recommended, must work in synergy to redress the situation," she said.

FCFA 294.160 billion was collected for the first quarter; representing a 106 per cent performance rate while the second quarter fetched FCFA 154.806 billion, above the initial projection of FCFA 138.907 billion. This represented a performance rate of 111 per cent and a 20 per cent progression vis-à-vis the same period in 2011.