A series of training sessions on the system for monitoring, authenticating, tracing, and conducting tax audits of tobacco products (SYSTRAC) began on Tuesday, March 24. Scheduled in three groups of participants, the training involves 150 agents who will be equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to track down fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Initiated by the General Directorate of Domestic Trade (DGCI), in collaboration with SICPA C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire SA, this training is part of an effort to modernize monitoring tools and combat fraud in the tobacco sector and is taking place at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Plateau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upon completion of the training, these officials from the ministry and partner organizations will be expected to become proficient in using the SYSTRAC system, while strengthening their technical capabilities to address illicit practices such as smuggling and counterfeiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Kpon\u00e9 B\u00e9renger, regional director of Grands Ponts, praised the implementation of this innovative tool. \u201cToday, we live in a world where digital technology and digitization are essential to all our activities. This traceability system effectively strengthens the fight against fraud,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to highlight the legal framework underpinning this initiative. The system stems from the anti-tobacco law adopted in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire in 2019, as well as the 2022 decree establishing traceability and monitoring of tobacco products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The organizers highlight the significance of this training. Indeed, SYSTRAC will enable better identification of industry stakeholders, making it possible to track all tobacco products entering the country, as well as the operators involved in their production, importation, and distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Participants welcome this training, as the security mechanisms built into the system are a major asset. \u201cProducts will be marked with security stamps, logistics codes, and activation codes. All these elements will enable us to effectively combat fraud, counterfeiting, and smuggling,\u201d note participants, who say they are proud to take part in this capacity-building activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Zakariya Belfkih, technical director of SICPA and trainer, emphasized the importance of providing technical support to agents. \u00ab\u00a0The SYSTRAC system is a government commitment, supported by several institutions, including the Ministries of Finance, Health, and Trade,\u00a0\u00bb he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He indicated that the training is structured in several phases. \u00ab\u00a0We are currently in phase 1, which consists of presenting the system in its entirety and sharing modern inspection tools. A second phase will be dedicated to end users, with practical, on-the-job training,\u00a0\u00bb he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For him, the objective is clear: \u00ab\u00a0to support agents with digital tools in order to strengthen on-the-ground controls and effectively combat illicit products, while securing the national economy.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through this initiative, the Ministry of Trade intends to improve economic governance and increase tax revenue collection, while protecting the national market from fraudulent channels.<\/p>\n\n\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A series of training sessions on the system for monitoring, authenticating, tracing, and conducting tax audits of tobacco products (SYSTRAC) began on Tuesday, March 24. Scheduled in three groups of participants, the training involves 150 agents who will be equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to track down fraud. Initiated by the General Directorate of Domestic Trade (DGCI), in collaboration with SICPA C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire SA, this training is part of an effort to modernize monitoring tools and combat fraud in the tobacco sector and is taking place at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Plateau. Upon completion of the training, these officials from the ministry and partner organizations will be expected to become proficient in using the SYSTRAC system, while strengthening their technical capabilities to address illicit practices such as smuggling and counterfeiting. Mr. Kpon\u00e9 B\u00e9renger, regional director of Grands Ponts, praised the implementation of this innovative tool. \u201cToday, we live in a world where digital technology and digitization are essential to all our activities. This traceability system effectively strengthens the fight against fraud,\u201d he said. It is important to highlight the legal framework underpinning this initiative. The system stems from the anti-tobacco law adopted in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire in 2019, as well as the 2022 decree establishing traceability and monitoring of tobacco products. The organizers highlight the significance of this training. Indeed, SYSTRAC will enable better identification of industry stakeholders, making it possible to track all tobacco products entering the country, as well as the operators involved in their production, importation, and distribution. Participants welcome this training, as the security mechanisms built into the system are a major asset. \u201cProducts will be marked with security stamps, logistics codes, and activation codes. All these elements will enable us to effectively combat fraud, counterfeiting, and smuggling,\u201d note participants, who say they are proud to take part in this capacity-building activity. Mr. Zakariya Belfkih, technical director of SICPA and trainer, emphasized the importance of providing technical support to agents. \u00ab\u00a0The SYSTRAC system is a government commitment, supported by several institutions, including the Ministries of Finance, Health, and Trade,\u00a0\u00bb he stated. He indicated that the training is structured in several phases. \u00ab\u00a0We are currently in phase 1, which consists of presenting the system in its entirety and sharing modern inspection tools. A second phase will be dedicated to end users, with practical, on-the-job training,\u00a0\u00bb he explained. For him, the objective is clear: \u00ab\u00a0to support agents with digital tools in order to strengthen on-the-ground controls and effectively combat illicit products, while securing the national economy.\u00a0\u00bb Through this initiative, the Ministry of Trade intends to improve economic governance and increase tax revenue collection, while protecting the national market from fraudulent channels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10351,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10412,"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10411\/revisions\/10412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gucecotedivoire.ci\/pwic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}