How single window platform can grow maritime trade, by experts

HOW can Nigeria’s maritime sector be strengthened? It is by the adoption of the Single Window (SW) platform to reduce cost and time in port operations, experts have said.

SW is used by many countries to facilitate trade and generate revenue at their ports.

The maritime experts, who gathered last weekend at a Media Trade Facilitation Workshop in Ghana, said the adoption of SW would make Nigeria’s ports competitive in the international trade network.

The workshop’s was Achieving a National Single Window Vision. It was organised by Westblue Consulting in Akosombo, Ghana, for selected maritime reporters from Nigeria and Ghana.

The experts urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi to compel the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC) to embrace SW to facilitate trade and generate more revenue.

They also urged the National Assembly to back SW with a law.

The Federal Government, The Nation learnt, will  generate additional $600 million yearly from the ports and borders, if all agencies keyed into SW.

The huge amount that could be be generated from the platform, stakeholders said, necessitated the  introduction of the National Single Window (NSW) platform at the ports.

Speakers at the workshop implored Buhari and Amaechi to ensure that government agencies embraced the platform for the seaports to work better.

In last year’s World Bank’s trading across borders report, presented at the workshop by a speakers, Mr Somnuk Keretho, 189 countries’ economies were assessed and Nigeria was ranked 182. This is because the country was yet to adopt SW at the ports.

In the report, countries, such asThailand, Morocco and Ghana, where most of their agencies have adopted SW, were ranked 56, 102 and 171.

The report also showed that it was more difficult to do business at Nigerian ports and border stations because of low level of trade facilitation.

The report specifically canvassed for reduction in cargo dwell time for imports and reduction in intrusive inspection by the Customs to boost trade.

“Trade facilitation is about enhancing national trade competitiveness by improving import, export, transit procedures and document/information handling among government agencies, trades/business entities and logistic service providers for all major modes of transportation of the country-sea, air and land transport,” Keretho said.

In her presentation, a trade facilitation expert, Valentina Mintah said collaboration between stakeholders and government agencies is key to the full implementation of the single window environment.

The Single Window, she said, is a laudable initiative, which any country like Nigeria must embrace and take seriously.

The single window, she said, will also enhance the national trade competitiveness through adequate improvement in import, export, transit procedures and information sharing system.

The facility, she said, will ensure that there is a paperless customs declaration, compliance and online approval.

Customs physical examination, according to her, would be reduced drastically and integrate the Customs with other government agencies, adding: “The single window facility needs to be supported by legislation.”

Mintah, who is also the Programme Manager for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) single window feasibility study, said the Federal Government needs to show the necessary political will in introducing a single window platform at the ports to reduce cost and increase the compliance level of importers and exporters.

“Single window is a measure to reduce the time and cost of cross-border trade whilst introducing transparency and predictability into the international trade supply chain.

“The benefits are immense, because on a micro level, it will boost the competitive advantage of Nigeria and its traders on the international markets while increasing government’s revenue, boost foreign direct investment, introduce  simpler, faster clearance, and release processes. It will also integrate risk management across stakeholders and promote entrepreneurship. This is because if you show that it is simple to participate in cross-border trade, then you will have new entrants into the market, who are going to seek opportunities in cross border trade.

“t will also provide safe and affordable goods and services to the average man on the street. In summary, the effective implementation of the single window will be of significant benefit to the government, the private sector and Nigerians,” she said.

Mintah also noted the huge impact the single window environment will have on the Nigerian economy and and said contingency plans must be put in place to ensure sustainability of the system if and when abused.

In his recommendations, another key speaker, Mr. Tom Butterly, said there was the need for change in the Nigerian Ports operations system.

“Majority of projects failed because the human and organisational changes necessary to support the introduction of the new technology have not been adequately addressed,” he said.

The government, Butterly said, must ensure that heads of agencies and stakeholders “show strong willingness to engage in and support  the single window operation at ports and see the maintenance of such support as one of the key factors in the potential success of the project”.

Government’s attention on the single window, he  said, should be focused on the following:

• reducing time and cost of doing business at ports;
• simplification and automation of ports operations;
• reduction in the human inter face and increased transparency;
• users friendly system must be adopted and Help desk created to assist importers and clearing agents;
• the SW system must be secured and reliable and
• the overall economic benefit must be to the government and Nigerians as a whole.

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