The digital transformation of Algerian Customs, already underway, will continue, affirmed the Director General of Customs, Major General Abdelhafid Bakhouche, on the occasion of World Customs Day. He highlighted the achievements and performance of Algerian Customs during 2025, as well as prospects for the future.
“At Algerian Customs, digitization is not a technical choice, but a culture and a management method,” affirmed this Saturday the Director General of Algerian Customs during his speech, on the occasion of World Customs Day, which falls on January 26 each year.
Noting an early awareness within customs services of the importance of digitizing services, Major General Abdelhafid Bakhouche stated that the digital transformation undertaken by Algerian Customs “reflects our commitment to doing better.” He specified that this involves establishing transparency, ensuring an environment conducive to trade development in service of the national economy, and protecting citizens’ health and safety. “Algerian Customs are pursuing this overall digital transformation process,” he added.
He highlighted the efforts through the digitization of several services, mentioning the considerable development of the customs information system, ALCES, marked by the launch of several digital services during 2025. These include, among others, digital services dedicated to travelers and economic operators, such as the dematerialization of transit documents and currency declarations, ensuring rigorous tracking and faster processing of operations. This is a modernization process that Algerian Customs will continue. Mr. Bakhouche indeed emphasized “Algerian Customs’ commitment to continuing the modernization process, strengthening professional skills, and upholding values of integrity and professionalism, in line with government guidelines and the recommendations of the World Customs Organization.”
This year, under the theme “Customs that protect society through vigilance and commitment,” World Customs Day also provides an opportunity to highlight the strategic role of customs in protecting the national economy, securing borders, and facilitating trade exchanges, especially in light of the economic and digital transformations underway in the customs system, further noted the DG of Algerian Customs, who particularly emphasized customs’ contribution to economic performance.
Algerian Customs achieved an efficiency rate of 34.47% and collected more than 52 billion dinars in duties and taxes in 2025, up 16.66% from 2024, Mr. Bakhouche revealed. He also indicated that control actions by Customs exceeded the target by 119.48% regarding the seizure of prohibited goods.
The Director General of Algerian Customs also addressed customs’ contribution to national economic development, pointing out the customs facilitations granted for investment projects.
Mr. Bakhouche did not fail to underscore the central role of human resources in customs services, affirming that continuous training of staff, professionalization, and strengthening agents’ skills represent a strategic priority receiving special attention.