Ghana effectively begins paperless ports transactions, single window operations
…Nigeria maritime agencies still operating ‘separate’ single windows
After few months of systems reconfiguration to synchronize with other sister agencies working at ports, Ghana Port & Habour Authority (GPHA) on September 1, successfully flagged off the paperless ports reforms.
It is on record that the Nigerian maritime agencies started planning for single window transactions at ports even before Ghana, but ended up at what can best be described as separate single windows for every agency of the government at the ports, which stakeholders had seen as not so good for ease of doing business at ports.
Nigeria is yet to achieve one-stop- shop truly single window in port operations as investigations show that whereas some agencies are willing to share data and operations, some are fearful and secretive when dealing with others up till now.
The aims of the new policy are to reduce cost of doing business, enhance transparency and improve the country’s trade competitiveness.
Business Hilights recalls that the flag off stemmed from the Vice President’s directive during a Port Efficiency Conference organised in May this year.
Ghana VP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, had handed down a three-point agenda which include removal of all customs barriers on the country’s transit corridor, a joint inspection by all regulatory agencies and a hundred percent paperless transactions at the ports from September 1, 2017.
This was followed up with an official unveiling of a road map of the paperless process to guide the operators and agencies in the port clearance chain.
Before the operational take off, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), the Ghana Community Network, the West Blue Consulting, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana Shippers Authority, the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and a host of other stakeholder institutions embarked on several engagements with importers and freight forwarders, to educate them on the changes that would occur on their systems.
A top official of the GPHA who spoke to Business Hilights Bureau Chief in Ghana on grounds of anonymity said “Since Friday, though it was a public holiday, our operations have been digital and beautifully seamless just unlike before everywhere was papers”.
“Today (Tuesday), we are doing great and things are going online as expected. In fact the future of Ghana is digital.
According to Madam Esther Gyebi-Donkor, the General Manager in charge of Marketing and Corporate Affairs of GPHA, said the ports authorities provided a Customer Service Centre to assist agents to use the online systems without any difficulties.
Ghana News Authority (GNA) quoted Gyebi-Donkor as saying that “We were able to put our customer service in place. We ensured that all the people who came to the Revenue Centre to process the old forms were given detailed exposure on how they have to start making their requests in the system from Monday.
“The number of people who came around to do clearance had started the process already with the old system so we let them to go through a transition period in order to clear those ones through the old system,” she said.
Mr. Paul Asare Ansah, the Director-General of the GPHA, Mr. Edward Osei, the Director of Tema Port and the General Manager, Corporate Affairs and Marketing at GPHA, toured the various centres to ascertain the number of requests made by agents including the Golden Jubilee Terminal.
The port authorities expressed the belief that the successful take-off of the paperless operations would continue in the days to come and any challenges that may be encountered would be worked out gradually to perfect the system.
The West Blue Consulting Limited and the Ghana Community Network Services are mainly the Information Technology (IT) systems reliability and sustenance providers for the paperless processes and both expressed satisfaction with the successful roll-out of the transactions.
