NBR begins nationwide training of duty officials, stakeholders on proposed customs law

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has initiated a nationwide training programme for officials of duty stations and other stakeholders on the proposed customs law in a bid to implement it from next year.

Around 1,000 officials of Chattogram Customs House, Mongla, Benapole, Kamalapur ICD, Pangaon, and Dhaka Customs House joined the daylong training today.

The draft of new customs bill will be placed before the parliament for its approval in the first session of the Jatiya Sangsad next year. If approved, it will replace the five decades old Customs Act 1969.

The new law aims to bring amendments to different technicalities and enhance use of technology to boost import-export activities and deliver prompt services.

A month-long training programme has begun from Friday to train the concerned officials, said Md Akbar Hossain, first secretary (Customs) at NBR.

"A total of 20 instructors will provide training to the officials on the draft of the new Customs Act 2020 during the month-long programme," he said.

"Upon completion of the programme, these officials will train their fellow officials at their duty stations. Each station will have instructors to train the rest of the officials," said Abu Hanif Md Abdul Ahad, second secretary at NBR and an instructor at the training programme.

Since Bangladesh is a member state of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and a signatory of the WCO's Trade Facilitation Agreement, it was necessary to amend the old law, Akbar Hossain added.