Customs Department boosts President Biya’s Greater Accomplishment Programme

If there is one institution that President Paul Biya can count on to see his Greater Accomplishment Programme see the light of day, then it is undoubtedly the Customs Department.

Apparently, President Biya knew it only too well that the Customs Department is such a key institution that cannot just be placed under the care of any Tom, Dick and Harry.

It was therefore no surprise that the president settled for the God-fearing, dynamic, level-headed and corruption-free Minette Libom Li Likeng as the director general of the Customs Department.

With barely four years at the helm of the Customs Department, Minette Libom Likeng’s achievements are glaring as a lighted candle in the dark.

 

Unbeatable revenue collection records

Ever since her appointment at the helm of the Customs Department, Libom Likeng has always ensured that her institution beats set records in revenue collection.

It is therefore not a surprise that the Customs Department has recorded a 101% score in revenue collection in this third quarter. Speaking during the fourth coordination meeting of the Customs Department Administration that held in Yaounde on October 18, 2012, the emblematic Customs Department general manager, Libom Likeng announced that instead of the initial 151.7 billion FCFA that was targeted for collection in revenue, for the third quarter, her department has collected 153.9 billion; representing a percentage score of 101.

The amount collected by the Customs Department for the third quarter, it should be recalled, represents a 5% increase rate as of last year when 146.8 billion was collected during the third quarter.

With over 500 billion FCFA of the 550 billion FCFA the state is expecting from the Customs Department this year; already collected, hopes are high that Libom Likeng and her dynamic collaborators would collect far above the target; before the end of the year 2012.

Senior finance officials have saluted the unbeatable records of the Customs Department in revenue collection; saying it is eloquent proof of ongoing reforms that have been put in place by President Paul Biya to ensure Good Governance. “The Customs Department is a mighty contributor to President Paul Biya’s Greater Accomplishment Programme”, a senior finance official told The Guardian Post in Yaounde recently.

 

Implementing government’s policy

Besides having an unbeatable record in revenue collection, the Customs Department is second to none when it comes to implementing government’s policies. These policies include among others: the reduction of price hikes, reduction of the time lapse for the clearing goods from the ports as well as evaluating the level at which Custom officials have imbibed the new techniques, and ethics of their profession.

 

                                   Zero corruption in Customs Department 

There is no gainsaying the fact that if there is one institution in Cameroon that is free of corrupt practices, it is the Customs Department. This couldn’t have been otherwise, given that its director general is God-fearing and is a rare anti-corruption crusader.

The simple reason therefore why while other government departments lag behind in revenue collection, the Customs Department is rather collecting far more than what the state has tasked them.

Shortly after her appointment, Libom Likeng not only decreed zero corruption in the Customs Department but went ahead to march words with action. Her watchwords remain giving a new look to the Customs Department. To do this, Libom Likeng has embarked on the mission to let Custom officers know what they are, what they do and how they do it.

The no-nonsense Customs general manager has equally instituted a system of motivation and reinforcement of the capacity of Custom workers.

 

                                  

Libom Li-Likeng : Making the Cameroonian woman proud

As the first woman to ever head a strategic revenue collection administration, Minette Libom Li Likeng has every reason to be proud. A greater onus of pride rests on Cameroon’s public administration which has had the singular privilege of having a personality with a high-flying moral record to run the affairs of a department that is the life-wire of the state. Being the wife of a pastor, Minette Libom Li Likeng pilots the affairs of the state with the fear of God.

At the Customs Department, Libom Li Likeng is embroidering the marvellous fabric of a futuristic revenue collection institution that can match the challenges of globalisation and rapidly changing norms in international trade. Under her fearless leadership, the Customs Department can boast of a management structure that rewards competence and hardwork.

With 3000 Customs agents under her command, Libom Li Likeng has established a solid network of professionals who can also efficiently fight contraband, protect the local economy and defend the territory. Under her reign, SYDONIA and Nexus have been established to better access the content of containers arriving Cameroon from abroad and to monitor the transit of goods to neighbouring countries.

Thanks to the level of organisation at the Customs Department, the time taken for goods to leave the port has dropped from 19 to 10 days. Workers have signed a performance contract that engages them to work at their very best to achieve the institution’s set objectives. Such a remarkable sense of management makes Libom Li Likeng not only a square peg in a square hole but the pride of the Cameroonian woman. There is every reason to believe that Libom Likeng’s achievements at the helm of the Customs Department have motivated President Paul Biya to give more women top positions of responsibility.