Customs setting up academy in Madang

 THE Customs Service is undergoing a restructure that will include the setting up of a customs academy.

Commissioner Ray Paul said during the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Divine Word University that it was a milestone achievement since its separation from the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC).

“The continuous international threats and illegal activities are constantly rising every day and the organisation must be equipped to face these challenges,” he said.

Paul said the memorandum would help prepare Customs for the challenges ahead as the country competed on the international stage in an age of advanced technology.

“Legitimate trade between international partners, collection of internal and external revenues and the surveillance and protection of our borders will be boosted with the much-needed intellectual approach that this MOU will deliver,” Paul said.

DWU president Fr Jan Czuba said the Institute of PNG Customs at the university was a facility of its own offering programmes related to the demands and challenges of the daily operations of the organisation.

“Classes have started this year with 15 students taking bachelor in management programmes. The next 15 students are expected to join next year,” Czuba said.

“Major structural reforms are taking place which will see the PNG Institute of Customs operating independently from DWU where officials will undergo training and skills development. It will be a school of excellence on its own similar to Customs academies in Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the developed world,” he said.