The Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali, says there is the need for training and retraining for improved performance of officers particularly in the West and Central Africa region.
Ali, who is the Vice Chairman of the West and Central Africa (WCA) region of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), said this at the 11th meeting and training of human resource managers of WCA region in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said the theme of the meeting, “Resilience and Wellbeing of Human Capital, Driving Performance of Customs Administrations in the WCA Region’’, was apt because employees wellbeing was critical to improved performance.
He said the negative impact of COVID-19 on global health and challenges of insurgency, terrorism and poverty in the WCA region made it imperative to focus on human capital development.
“Studies and research have shown that employees’ wellbeing including positive psychology, resilience, expectations and optimism is a spring board to personnel performance.
“Studies also show that resilience which is one of the characteristics that helps a person to avoid impulsive and reactive behaviour has a strong correlation with human capital performance.
“Acquisition of evolving and scientific skills in human resource management, therefore, will elicit focus of Customs administrations in the WCA region.
“It will help to invest in taking care of our human capital during these recovery phases of the global health pandemic and economic down turn, to drive human capital performance,’’ he said.
He said he would use his office as vice chairman of WCA to shift focus of human resource management from protecting operations and infrastructure to scientific research.
He said, “I believe that this training would accord the WCA administrations exposure to modern and evolving human resource initiatives.
“I am confident that WCA-Customs can take the lead in the application of human resource management tools compatible with the WCO best practices and emerging technology capabilities in the continent.’’
He said the technical assistance provided by WCO to the region, particularly in the area of development of WCO customs strategy for proper utilisation of skills was commendable.
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He said the three-day meeting would afford participants the opportunity to share experiences for enhanced networking and integration in the WCA region.
Mr Abdel Sangho, the Director, Regional Office Capacity Building (ROCB) of the WCA, said the focus on human capital development had become necessary following numerous challenges in the region.
“It is very important now for customs services to focus on the training of our personnel.
“This is because customs is very important in international trade and that is why we faced a lot of difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So, it is important for customs to re-adapt and focus on skills that will enable officers face any kind of challenge in the region.’’
The World Customs Organisation (WCO) is an intergovernmental organisation aimed at enhancing coordination among customs administrations around the world.
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