The Directorate General of Customs (DGD) bolstered its operational capabilities with the commissioning, on Saturday in Algiers, of an Operational Center dedicated to real-time monitoring of various customs activities and data processing. This new facility aims to support decision-making processes within the administration based on accurate and up-to-date intelligence.
The Center’s primary missions include gathering information transmitted by Regional Operational Centers around the clock, tracking the operations of various departments, and compiling intelligence bulletins as well as periodic reports intended for senior authorities. It also ensures the immediate flagging of any urgent information, thereby enabling close tracking of developments on the ground and timely intervention.
Furthermore, this structure is tasked with directing and overseeing the work of Customs field teams to enhance the speed of interventions and the effectiveness of the fight against smuggling networks and cross-border organized crime. It also serves as an emergency management tool for on-site operations.
Thanks to this setup, the Customs administration now possesses a comprehensive overview of its activities while guaranteeing rapid transmission of information, particularly urgent alerts. This represents a qualitative leap forward in modernizing customs services, boosting their readiness levels, and consolidating their role in safeguarding the national economy, emphasized the Director General of Customs, Major General Abdelhafid Bakhouche.
The inauguration of this infrastructure took place under the chairmanship of the Minister of Finance, Mohammed Lamine Lebbou, in the presence of the Minister of Mujahideen and Right-Holders, Abdelmalek Tacherift, the Director General of Customs, the Director General of National Security, Ali Badaoui, as well as representatives from various security agencies. The ceremony was held to mark the commemoration of the 72nd anniversary of the outbreak of the glorious November Revolution.
In his remarks, Mr. Bakhouche noted that rapid shifts in the economic and commercial landscape, combined with the diversification of fraud and smuggling methods and attempts to undermine the national economy, make it imperative to keep advancing working tools, strengthen rapid and effective response capacities, and foster a proactive work culture rooted in vigilance, coordination, and intelligence sharing.
In this regard, he recalled that a unit responsible for operational Customs activities had been established in early 2024. Serving as the core of an integrated operational network, it relies on regional and local operational centers designed to strengthen communication, coordination, and field monitoring. This framework gradually evolved into the newly inaugurated Operational Center.
This initiative aligns with ongoing efforts to modernize the Customs corps, enhance its operational capacity, and upgrade the customs inspection system, notably through smoother information exchange and improved intervention efficiency. It also fits within the national drive toward digitization and modernization of management practices, in accordance with the directives of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune.