Mozambique has stepped up efficiency and revenue collection following the implementation of a single window system in the country. According to Abishek Dewan, a technical manager for the Mozambique customs authority, there has been a huge improvement in transaction times with only eight clearance steps compared to the previous 32. “Transfers to government treasury are now done in 48 hours instead of 14 days while online payment facilities provide convenience to clients and reduce their travel time and waiting time to pay for customs duties in person.” Initially introduced in 2011, the system has been a work in progress and has been implemented in a phased approach. “We have also managed to reduce the list of documents required,” said Dewan during a presentation at the monthly Transport Forum in Cape Town recently. “Our average clearance times at all ports has vastly improved with some 84% of all cargo cleared in less than 48 hours and 74% cleared in less than 24 hours. At the same time revenue recorded a year-on-year growth of 24% in 2014 and 14% in 2015.” He said although the figures were not yet available expectations were for positive growth for 2016 as well. “Our goal with the single window system was to provide a centralised electronic platform for trade. The goals set have definitely been achieved. Not only has our revenue increased, but there has been a cost reduction to the user and it is a far more businessfriendly environment.” He said the system was now operating across the country with all the commercial banks on board and they were about to start implementing third party payment services. He said efforts were also continuously under way to re-evaluate the system to ensure they remained as relevant as possible. “It is not simply about implementing a system and then it is done. We are working on it all the time to ensure we improve the overall experience of customers with customs.”
