FG approves single window goods clearing system
On August 10, 2012
The Federal Government has announced the approval of the Single Window system of clearing goods at the nation?s ports in order to facilitate international trade and investments.
The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the sub-regional workshop on Single Window organised by the Union of African Shippers? Councils (UASC) in collaboration with the Nigerian Shippers? Council.
?I am happy to inform the Union of African Shippers? Councils (UASC) that the issue of a Single Window has been championed by the Ministry and its agencies in collaboration with other key agencies like the Federal Ministry of Finance and the National Planning Commission over the years and the Federal government of Nigeria has approved the adoption?. The minster stated.
According to the Minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transport, Engr. Nebolisa Emodi, ?economic development worldwide now hinges on the ability of a nation to trade effectively and efficiently in the global market.
Minister of Trade & Investment, Olusegun Aganga
?It is however pertinent to note that the complexity of international trade especially in the areas of procedures for documentation and compliance which differs from one country to the other often put our shippers at a disadvantage due to the intractable challenge of abysmally poor level of trade facilitation?, he said.
Senator Idris however said it was gladdening that ?a tool for surmounting the hurdle of poor trade facilitation has been developed so as to overcome the complex system of data submission and regulatory control by aiming to adopt the single submission of data, thereby reducing the current approach and requirements thereby eliminating existing duplicating data use and redundant regulatory requirements?.
In addition, he said that the efficacy of this tool had been proven in many parts of the world, including some countries in the sub-region, and it is being highly recommended by international organizations like the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Trade Organisation (WTO) and World Customs Organisation (WCO) for efficient conduct of our international trade.
Senator Idris regretted that the sub-region had not had a fair share of international trade in the face of its generation of huge freight.
He added that the region has remained dependent on foreign flags to ship its imports and exports thereby losing colossal amounts in foreign exchange to foreign carriers who arbitrarily imposed freight rates and other charges on cargoes.
This, he said, had been made more precarious as the shippers? interest had faded away since the demise of the conference system, adding that ?what we have are indigenous organizations peculiar to each country.
He then urged member countries to adopt the Single Window system as it was capable of boosting their economic cooperation and integration.
In his welcome remark, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Captain Adamu Biu, observed that the continent had great economic potentials but the attitudes, practices, cumbersome procedures and lack of infrastructures had retarded its growth and development.
He therefore said Single Window guaranteed efficient trading and efficient governmental controls of trade flows as well as improved governance and fewer opportunities for corruption.
He defined the Single Window thus, ?A facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single entry points to fulfill all import, export and transit-related regulatory requirements. If information is electronic, then individual data elements should be submitted once?.
The theme of the two-day workshop is ?Single Window Environment in the West and Central African Sub-region: Panacea for Economic Development?.
