Conference Identifies Tools for Trade Facilitation in African Maritime Sector

Tayo Oladipupo |

The 2nd Continental Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Women in Maritime Africa (WIM Africa) with the theme, “Trade Facilitation for African Integration: Prospects and challenges, has identified some tools to enhance trade in African maritime sector.

The speakers at the event noted that there were threats to elements that facilitate trade within the continent, and part of their recommendations for addressing the challenges included building critical infrastructure such as road network, railways connecting ports and the hinterlands as well as effective storage facilities.

Dr. Kofi Mbiah, the Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers Council who delivered the lead paper titled “Trade Facilitation as a Tool for Economic Growth, noted that the part of the challenges affecting trade facilitation in Africa include “Complex customs and administrative procedures/regulations, Inefficient and costly transit systems as evidenced by numerous informal roadblocks (checkpoints) along trade corridors, Lack of harmonisation of trade procedures, standards, regulations and documentation.”

He, however, recommended that such challenges could be addressed through “Better border and customs management, Improvements in trade and transport infrastructure, Open and competitive markets in logistics and service sectors, Harmonized technical, product and safety standards in the sub- region.

“Availability of information about requirements and enforcement procedures, Quick Port turnaround time, Speedy delivery of cargo, Competitive Port costs, efficient cargo handling, good customer service, good Transit Infrastructure, Good security, Availability of Intermodal links – rail networks, Efficient Human Resource.”

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Bala Usman had on the occasion advocated for an African framework targeted at enhancing the conveyance of cargoes and the quality of logistics in a more predictable manner.

The NPA MD advocated that such a Framework should be targeted at enhancing the clearance of cargos through efficient logistics in a more profitable manner stated that it has become imperative to eliminate encumbrances affecting trade liberalization and facilitation in the sub region.

She urged the women to proffer an integrative approach that will eliminate the increasing complexity and cost associated with transaction processes of trade in the continent.

Continuing, Hadiza said, “For us in the continent to get trade facilitation right, it is imperative that our regulatory environment must be tied with best practices and strengthened to ensure that operators in the trade corridors and border–post adhere to the various articles of the World Trade Organization on Trade Facilitation Agreement. We in the continent more than ever before need to redefine our trade processes to ensure simplification of documentation, automation, efficiency, transparency and professionalism; this no doubt will engender ease of doing business”.

Usman tasked the organisers to unravel critical issues militating against the continent from taking the advantages of the prospects of trade facilitation; Hadiza Bala Usman admonished them to come up with strategic plans that will upscale the desired growth and development of the economy of the continent.

In his contributions, Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council, Otunba Kunle Folarin, also spoke on the need to rebuild the dilapidated infrastructure and improve the logistics chain for trade integration.

In like manner, Mrs. Juliana Gunwa, the Managing Director of Mattisea Maritime Services ltd., said dilapidated infrastructure such as the port access roads remained a constraint on trade facilitation.

She also mentioned lack of transparency in documentation processes in trade matters as a challenge to trade facilitation.

According to Gunwa, a big problem faced in trade within the continent is the lack of effective storage facilities captured in trade policies, and the situation have continued to cause waste of food produce.