I extend best wishes to the Jamaica Customs Agency for the coordination of activities to mark Customs Week 2017. I also use this occasion to commend the agency for the significant strides made in modernizing its operations within the relatively short time since recent plans were indicated.

In these times when international border and virtual security are of major concern, the risk and intelligence driven approach with the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) is a necessary thrust in the direction to improve security.

The Jamaica Customs Agency has also notably adopted an enterprise approach to risk management, effectively positioning risk management techniques as the axis of customs operations, in keeping with international best practices.

These benchmarks speak to the level of importance the organisation places on Information Communication Technology (ICT), having recognised its impact on the nation’s competiveness in the area of global trade and logistics.

The implementation of these systems aimed at causing greater ease in conducting business with the agency, is evidence of its commitment to place its sector on the trajectory for Jamaica to achieve the national developmental agenda by year 2030.

Jamaica Customs has played and continues to play an important role in enabling the nation to effectively participate in an increasingly globalized village, as it seeks to demonstrate competitive and comparative advantage in commerce.

It is my hope that as the agency seeks to attain and maintain global standards it will stay connected with the stakeholders at the local level. I also urge that it remains committed to its mandates by facilitating global trade with unquestionable integrity, the highest level of border protection and meaningful measures in securing revenue.

His Excellency The Most Honourable Sir Patrick Allen ON, GCMG, CD, KSt.J

Governor General