Dubai Customs honors winners of 4 th edition of Innovator Award

Dubai – 19 September 2021: Dubai Customs organized a virtual ceremony to award the winners of the 4 th edition of the Innovator Contest.

It is one of the initiatives through which Dubai Customs aims to enhance the culture of creativity in the government workplace to fulfill the leadership’s vision of turning the country into a global creative hub. In the contest, 38 employees submitted 125 creative ideas which were evaluated, and the Innovation Team shortlisted 14 of them. They were put in 4 categories: Inspection, service, Corporate Efficiency, and 4 th Industrial Revolution Technologies. The ideas were put to public vote, and 678 employees voted for the winning ideas.

Dubai Customs activates and enhances channels through which employees can share their creative ideas,” said H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, Director General of Dubai Customs. “Ideas submitted through the platform reflect employees’ genuine desire to contribute to the development of services and add value to the workplace. Innovation is part of our corporate culture and of Dubai Government strategy. The repercussions of the pandemic have necessitated the need for more innovation, which proved the depth of the leadership’s vision and their forward thinking.”

The new 5-year (2021-2026) strategic plan of Dubai Customs stands on five principles: Agile, Innovative, Digital, Disruptive, Visionary. Enriching and encouraging innovation is a daily practice at Dubai Customs following the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai which aims to advance government work and enhance the UAE’s competitiveness around the world.

In the same line, Dr. Hussam Juma, Director, Service Innovation Department said; “The Smart Innovator Platform is interactive enabling Dubai Customs employees to share their insight and creative ideas. Ideas are exchanged, discussed and challenged. All employees have the chance to vote for the best ideas.

First place in Customs Inspection Category went to Ibrahim Al Kamali, Director of Passenger Operations Department for his Field Suspicion virtual reality initiative.
Mohammed Abu Rtaima, from Service Innovation Department, won the Customs Service category award for his Smart Expert app. Sultan Al Zarouni, from Customs
Declaration Department, won the Corporate Efficiency category award for his Customs Declaration Sensor initiative. Under the 4 th Industrial Revolution Technologies category, Ahsan Bahati from Service Innovation Department won the first place for his Augmented Reality initiative, which helps with better recording of IPR rights.

Active Departments in the Smart Innovator Platform were also honored. They are the Customs Declarations Department, Tariff & Origin Department, Service Innovation Department, IT Department and Sea Customs Centers Management. The most interactive and participating employees were honored, and these included Abid Ibrahim, Fahd Othman, Widad Ali, Sultan Al Zarouni, and Munira Hassan.