The lack of connectivity between intergovernmental departments is taking its toll on the efficient movement of cargo in and out of Mozambique – and adding to costs.According to Desiderio Fernandes, representative of the Association of Shipping and Freight Forwarding Agents and Port Operators of Mozambique (Asantrop), this is not an issue exclusive to Mozambique but one that needs to be addressed – particularly in the current global economic environment.“The cost of logistics is high in Africa. Being cost competitive is important and we need to do more to keep rates and tariffs down,” he told Freight News. “In Mozambique, the lack of interconnectivity between departments not only leads to the introduction of ratings and tariffs that tend to make the transit corridor expensive and uncompetitive, but it also creates a lot of bureaucracy and affects the ease of doing business.”As the voice for freight forwarders in the country, Asantrop has been actively advocating for a single-window customs service, with realistic pricing.Fernandes, who is also the current president of The Federation of Clearing and Forwarding Associations of Southern A f r ic a (FCFA SA), says countries in the region should all be moving actively to the single window concept.“Corridors are expanding – but unless we ensure efficiency and competitiveness, we are not going to attract the volumes as we would like to and grow trade.”He says another ongoing challenge for forwarders – which adds delays and costs – is the fact that customs declarations can only be submitted to customs through a broker. “Legislation prohibits freight forwarders from submitting customs declarations directly to customs. Forwarders’ in-house customs brokers can only do clearance for cargo that you are nominated for. As a forwarder you had to appoint a third-party customs broker,” he said. This only added to the cost, making a corridor such as the Beira Corridor uncompetitive.Small to medium (SME) forwarders in particular are struggling under this regime. “The challenges often feel insurmountable for these smaller companies that have to hand all of their customer details over to the broker. The confidentiality of the information also becomes a challenge.”And while forwarders are legislated to not submit documents directly to customs, the brokers have no controlling policy governing their action – and so more and more are stepping into the transportation and logistics space.“The customs broker is accredited by customs, while the freight forwarder is licensed by the transport minister,” explains Fernandes. “There are real policy gaps at play here that impact negatively on the forwarders, and companies are closing down as they are struggling to operate in this environment.”He said Asantrop had engaged with the government on the issue and was actively advocating for a policy change. Customs is now looking at amending the law so that it will not be mandatory to use a licensed customs broker to frame a declaration. However, this process is still in its infa nc y.
