Republic of Mauritius- Participants receive certificates for training on Big Data Analytics

The ten-day training programme under the EU and the Southern African Development Community aimed at building the capacity of customs officers at the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) particularly those from the Tax Risk Management Unit, to effectively use Big Data Analytics for a smarter and intelligent customs to enhance trade facilitation and ensure proper mitigation of risks.

In his address, Minister Bodha underlined Government is sparing no efforts to combat the drug scourge and modernise detection capabilities both at the airport and seaport. To this end, he said, it is important to enhance the skills and competencies of customs and law enforcement officers involved in the control, prevention and detection of risky consignments as well as doubtful passengers.

The training programme, he observed, will help to improve Risk Management Systems at the Customs, enhance operational capabilities of the MRA and facilitate legitimate trade. He added that technical expertise is also being sought under the Trade II programme for the setting up of an advanced analytic unit.

For his part, Mr Degert, highlighted that customs officers play in enhancing societal protection and smooth conduct of legitimate economic activities. The applications of Big Data, he said, will enable Mauritius Customs to adopt a proactive response to supply chain risks and identify suspicious activities. On this note, he reiterated that the EU will provide necessary support and expertise to the Mauritius Customs for empowering its officers.