Government to overhaul port
clearance system
By Bassey Udo
September 6, 2010 12:20AM
print email S
The federal government is
considering the establishment of a
one-stop trade facilitation system
as part of effort to correct what it
calls “poor, unfriendly,
uncompetitive and uncoordinated
international trade and business
environment ” in the country.
A top Ministry of Finance source
said yesterday in Abuja that the
proposal is sequel to an inter-
ministerial report constituted by the
Federal Ministry of Transport to
explore prospects for a system that
will harness the country’s evolving
trade and investment potentials
towards improved capabilities.
Reviewing challenges
The report was compiled, and
submitted to government last June,
by a committee made up of
representatives from the Federal
Ministries of Transport and Finance,
Nigeria Customs Service, Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian
Ports Authority, Nigerian Shippers
Council, Nigerian Investment
Promotion Commission, Shippers
Association of Nigeria, Council for
the Regulation of Freight
Forwarding in Nigeria, and Terminal
Operators of Association as well as
Office of the Secretary of the
Government of the Federation.
The Committee was mandated to
review challenges associated with
the country ’s alleged
uncompetitive trade and
investment facilitation system and
identify modalities for the
implementation of an “integrated,
streamlined and coordinated
mechanism for trade and
investment facilitation. ” The
committee’s mandate also included
the articulation of a work plan for
the establishment of an electronic
one-stop mechanism as well as
recommend towards the
attainment of the objectives of the
port reform and trade facilitation in
the country.
Recommendations
As part of its key
recommendations, the committee
was said to have found the “single
window concept” attractive for its
proposed system, which it
described as “apt” and capable of
helping “streamline cargo clearing
processes/procedures” as well as
“bring about efficient service
delivery in the country’s port and
trade system.”
“Based on the committee’s review
of the various measures adopted
by several countries as well as
international best practice, the
decision to adopt the one-stop shop
approach, otherwise known as
Automotive Single Window
Mechanism in Ports Management,
cargo clearing and trade facilitation
in general, has become very
urgent, inevitable and
unassailable, ” the committee said.
But investigations at the weekend
revealed that the underlying
objective of the proposal is
ostensibly to convince the
government to set aside the
Automated System for Customs
Data, a comprehensive, integrated
information systems reportedly in
use currently in more than 85
countries around the world.
It was gathered that the system,
which the Customs Service has
been using in its operations since
1999, might disrupt the progress so
far recorded, as the system has
always proved helpful in facilitating
trade by strengthening the
Customs administrations ’ capacity
to accelerate clearance and
simplifies procedures through
computerisation.
One-stop shop
A senior official of the Customs
Service, who spoke on condition of
anonymity yesterday in Abuja said,
“ The one-stop shop being proposed
by the committee is already in
place in Nigeria on the e-trade
platform with all its requirements
for effective operation on ground.
It has adequate capacity to
interface with all stakeholders.
Like the CBN, Standards
Organisation of Nigeria, Federal
Ministry of Finance, National Bureau
of Statistics, licensed agents and
importers, etc. All that the NCS
[Customs Service] needs is the
cooperation of other stakeholders
to interface at no cost, since
government has already paid for
it. ”
The Comptroller General of
Customs, Abdullahi Inde, had told
reporters recently that his
management has in the last year
consolidated on the current e-
Customs system to promote
international best practices, pointing
out that apart from upgrading the
system to the Automated System
for Customs Data to facilitate the
clearance of goods at the country ’s
ports within a maximum of 12
hours, manifests, payment of
duties and notification to
government control agencies are
now done electronically.