The celebration of International Customs Day, 2026 edition, in the Thiès region, a major event on the republican calendar, constitutes, for the deputy governor in charge of development, a strategic opportunity to highlight the important role of Senegalese customs in securing international trade, fighting fraud and trafficking in illicit products and protecting our national economy.

While paying tribute to the dedication of customs officers, Ababacar Sadikh Niang recalls that the theme chosen this year, "Customs that protects society through its vigilance and commitment", falls within the "Protection of society" component of specific objective no. 3 of the WCO Strategic Plan.

He explains that it revolves around risk management, revenue fraud, passenger screening and SAFE, the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, and the trafficking of illicit products.

The governor emphasizes that customs vigilance is a crucial lever for safeguarding our national territory against security, health, environmental, and economic threats. This customs vigilance, he says, relies on anticipating and preventing threats and is supported by strengthening the operational capacities of agents in risk analysis, intelligence gathering, and specialized investigation and control techniques.

Continuing, Mr. Niang emphasizes that the operational commitment of customs translates daily into an intensification of actions against trafficking and threats, and a continuous strengthening of the partnership.

According to him, this increased vigilance, combined with unwavering commitment, has enabled the Customs Administration to make record seizures estimated at 124,796 tons of prohibited products, for a value of 90,629,575,581 CFA francs.

Given this situation, the governor believes it is essential to seize this opportunity to learn from the past year and strengthen operational capacity for the benefit of the population. He expressed his conviction that, with the dedication and unwavering commitment of customs personnel at the regional level, the outlook for 2026 remains positive and promising.

And "with the strengthening of the partnership with all the decentralized services of the region, we aim to accentuate prevention, improve operational capacities and intensify actions to combat all threats that could have a negative impact on our economy, our health and our security."

The administrative authority thanked and congratulated the commander of the Thiès GPR and his staff for their sense of civic duty and daily sacrifice in ensuring an environment conducive to the social and economic well-being of the population. It also commended all members of the CRS and CRD who spare no effort in supporting and assisting customs in the proper execution of its core missions.

International Customs Day is celebrated on January 26th each year, under the auspices of the World Customs Organization.