In Summary

• According to KenTrade CEO Amos Wangora, the agency expects to have all government agencies migrate to the upgraded platform by March next year.
• The system has so far helped improve trade facilitation processes and procedures , with autotation increasing from 14 per cent to to 92 per cent.

The government wants to have all trade related agencies offer services on the Kenya National Electronic Single Window System for faster facilitation.

The system which was rolled out eight years ago by the Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTarde) is currently being upgraded with over 41 stakeholder organisations including about 20 state agencies on board.

Other users include 38 active insurance companies, 36 banks, 1,529 clearing agents, 46 shipping agents and shipping companies, 29 container freight stations and five cargo handling companies, all set to migrate.

Some of the key agencies that have been on the platform include Kenya Ports Authority, KRA, Kenya Bureau of Standards and port health.

According to KenTrade CEO Amos Wangora, the agency expects to have all government agencies migrate to the upgraded platform by March next year.

The system has so far helped improve trade facilitation processes and procedures , with autotation increasing from 14 per cent to to 92 per cent.

It has increased revenue yield by Sh3.44 billion with reduction in cargo clearance documentation approval time from an average of 12 days in 2013 to two days, resulting in savings along the supply chain of an estimated Sh2 billion per year.

“The the system has noted a decline in the time taken in processing documents, an increase in compliance, revenue collection and visibility of documents across the supply chain,” Wangora said on Monday.

Meanwhile, KenTrade is contemplating setting up an online trade logistics directory that will provide a listing of all players within the trade logistics sector, detailing the products and services, prices where applicable and their contacts to address gaps in trade.

“This platform once implemented will also help accumulate big data for better insight and decision making,”said Wangora.

It is currently implementing the recently launched Maritime Single Window (MSW) in collaboration with Kenya Maritime Authority.

This is compliance with international standards ( FAL agreement), which advocates for the automation of passenger and ship clearance procedures.

The initiative streamlines the submission of the passenger and ship documents making it simpler and faster.

KenTrade also has a platform known as i-ScreenKenya , a portal which provides users with a mechanism to vet all international traders before engaging in business with them.

This allows traders to conduct due diligence to reduce the possibility of being duped by unscrupulous traders or individuals.

To further facilitate trade, KenTrade in collaboration with TradeMark Africa and UNCTAD, launched a portal known as Information for Trade in Kenya (InfoTradeKenya) which provides a step-by-step guide to imports, exports and transit trade procedures, assisting traders make informed choices.

Through the portal, traders can see all the requirements needed to comply with, to import, export and transit specific commodity.

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of TradeMark Africa.