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(June 1st,Kabul ) The Afghan Customs Department (ACD) has inaugurated seven reconstructed and two new Customs Warehouses valued at $1.8 million dollars. The nine additional warehouses will be a significant boost for Afghan traders as they provide increased storage capacity and will allow more Kabul-based traders to declare goods in Kabul instead of at the first port of entry. The new facilities will help ACD to offload and inspect goods to ensure that legal duties are collected on all goods in full compliance with Afghan law. This increased capacity to assist trade will produce more revenue for the government to invest in national development priorities.
This infrastructure upgrade is expected to strengthen ACD’s defense against narcotics and other illegal, harmful materials. The new facilities are the latest achievements on the road to build up ACD’s physical capacity and human resources. The Customs Warehouses on Jalalabad Road, at the ACD Headquarters, were officially opened in a ceremony attended by Deputy Minister of Customs and Revenue, Sayeed Mubin Shah Pacha, ACD Director General Bismellah Kammawie, Kabul Port Director Safiullah Moshifiq and the American Ambassador Karl W. Eickenberry. The U.S. government, through the Border Management Task Force (BMTF) began funding refurbishment and construction of Inland Customs Depot (ICD) in November 2009. This assistance aims to help fight illicit traffic and promote legal trade with Afghanistan’s partners.
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