West Blue to launch eManifest to accelerate cross border trade

Accra, June 23, GNA - West Blue Consulting, the technical partners of the Ghana National Single Window (GNSW) project, is to roll out an eManifest platform in July.

The eManifest platform would enable Customs officials of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to access advance information on all cargo arriving in the country by air in real time.

Under the system carriers and freight forwarders would be required to send advance commercial information about their shipments electronically to the GRA.

Speaking at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Advance Cargo Information (ACI) workshop in Accra, the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) Sector Commander of the Customs Division of the GRA, Madam Theresa Kyei Asare said the eManifest system would simplify the process and make the clearing system faster.

She said the eManifest would also allow a seamless dissemination of information on all cargo due in the country by air to all relevant stakeholders in real time.

'The Manifest is the first and foremost document that customs officials require in order to process cargo clearance,' Madam Asare added.

"This is very welcome because it will make our work very simple, efficient and curtail the stress of moving from one airline operator to the other for the manifest manually to commence clearing processes," she said.

The collection and risk assessment of pre-arrival data will improve the GRA's ability to detect high-risk shipments before they arrive at the border. At the same time, low-risk, legitimate trade will be able to cross the border more efficiently.

eManifest makes Ghana's border processes more secure and compatible with international standards, which is important for the business community and for the country as a whole, senior customs officials said in Accra.

"But with the eManifest we are talking about five minutes at most and you have all the information you need to speed up the process. This is a win-win for us because it brings respite to us and the importers or shippers as well'', Madam Asare told the participants at the workshop.

Mr Ransford Mensah, the Manager in charge of training at West Blue Consulting, said the platform was aimed at deploying technology in the entire scope of operations at the airport, including boarding through to landing as well as the manifest section itself to ensure effective trade facilitation through automation.

The platform Mr Mensah said allowed authorised customs officials to log in and transact business without hindrance, stressing that the platform has been programmed to operate from end-to- end.

Reacting to concerns by some stakeholders at the workshop for room to be made for additional manifest to address the situation in which a cargo arrived at the airport but has not been captured in the manifest, Mr Mensah gave the assurance that the company was going to consider all concerns raised and factor them into the platform.

Another concern which was raised by the airliners was network or system failure, but the Deputy Head of IT at West Blue Consulting, Mr Gilbert Agyin, assured that the company and its partners would provide 24/7 ubiquitous internet service for the platform.

Taking the participants through an overview of IATA on Advance Cargo Information (ACI) at the workshop the Regional Manager for Africa in charge of Airport, Cargo, Passenger and Security at IATA, Mr Getnet Tilahun Taye, enumerated the benefits that the country would derive in the implementation of the ACI.

These include Customs being able to match resources to risks; low risk consignments are less likely to be inspected; more predictability of goods; reduce cost getting goods to the markets; and detection of illegal goods.

Recently, the Chief Executive Officer of West Blue Consulting, Madam Valentina Mintah said 25 airlines electronically submit their manifests to the Pre-Arrival Assessment Reporting System (PAARS) up to four hours before landing at the KIA.

Previously, they were submitted in hard copies to ground handlers, after the arrival of the airlines at the airport.

The PAARS is a modernised system that has been developed by the Customs Division of GRA as part of the implementation of the GNSW project to enhance revenue mobilisation, improve border security and customs clearance, overcome duplication across regulatory agencies and promote trade facilitation.

GNA