Five DGEP Awards go to Dubai Customs

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in presence of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, and HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and dignitaries from the government,. awarded 5 DGEP trophies to Dubai Customs

Now in its 19th year, the Dubai Government Excellence Program 2015 – 2016 awarding ceremony was held earlier today (Tuesday, April 19, 2016) at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The award categories granted to Dubai Customs are the coveted Distinguished Government Department, the Best Innovative Idea, which went to the Smart Customs Inspection System (Smart Table), the Distinguished Field Employee, to Ahmed Abdulla Al Ghais, Inspection Officer at the Passenger Operations Department, the Distinguished Woman Employee to Naeema Saeed Al Niemi, Customs Valuation Assessment Manager, and the Unsung Hero to Gulam Mohammed Gulam, worker.  

HE Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of DP World and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, was all smiles when Dubai Customs was named winner of the Distinguished Government Entity. “We couldn’t be happier about being recognized with such prestigious awards. This recognition validates how Dubai Customs is raising the bar for the government sector.

“Following in our leaders’ footsteps and thanks to our hard-working, dedicated, and outstanding employees, Dubai Customs managed to keep pace with modern trends and fostered a wok environment conducive to innovation and excellence,” said Bin Sulayem.  

The Director of Dubai Customs HE Ahmed Mahboob Musabih said he was very content with the accolades. “These awards are more validations of the progress that Dubai Customs has made so far in adopting innovation and creativity as pillars in the approach to simplifying procedures, streamlining trade and making customers happy. Winning these awards today is a direct result of this approach.”

The Director of Strategy and Corporate Excellence Ahmed Abdul Salam Kazim underscored that the one-team spirit and employees’ consolidated efforts and dedication are the key factors behind Dubai Customs’ deserved winning of these trophies. “Government entities are seeing the positive outcomes of incorporating quality and excellence in their processes. This is one of the core values of the Dubai Government Excellence Program, which offers a continuous motivation for all departments to bring to the table more innovative projects and initiatives in all areas,” Kazim added. 

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Winner of the Best Innovative Idea the Smart Customs Inspection System 

The first of its kind worldwide and currently in operation at Dubai’s airports, the Smart Customs Inspection System was developed in house at Dubai Customs to reduce the time of the manual inspection procedure of suspicious luggage to only three minutes. The system automatically and instantly provides Customs inspectors with all required information on the bag and the passenger.   

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The winners: We just love being No. 1 

Employees of Dubai Customs, who were named winners of this year’s prestigious DGEP awards, said that they just love being No.1, and credited this win to the positive work environment at Dubai Customs.

According to Ahmed Abdulla Al Ghais, Inspection Officer at the Passenger Operations Department, and winner of the Distinguished Field Employee award, “This award keeps me on the track I have drawn for myself since I joined Dubai Customs. I always set my eyes on the first position.”  

Al Ghais works in the airport patrol section and through his work managed to upgrade the process of suspecting passengers prior to their arrival to the airport, by analysing airline routes and passengers data. Also, Al Ghais was the first to create a bag to document seizures in the UAE. 

The Distinguished Woman Employee Naeema Saeed Al Niemi said she was thrilled to have won this award. “I am proud to be a member of Dubai Customs and to be able to serve my country with great passion,” she said. Al Niemi was the first to create a transactions smart distribution system, a smart fines collection system and a process for reading mandatory risk notification.  

The Unsung Hero Mr Gulam Mohammed Gulam said that Dubai Customs is like a second home to him now, having been on board since 1981. Gulam thanked Dubai Customs for supporting and nominating him for this prestigious award.