Launch of the Maritime pilot phase of the Single Window for Foreign Trade in Togo

SEGUCE Togo (the Société d’Exploitation du Guichet Unique pour le Commerce Extérieur au Togo) officially launched the pilot phase of the Single Window for Foreign Trade in Togo (GUCE) on June 30, 2014. This first stage of the implementation is for maritime imports for pilot participants.

The contract to create and operate the Single Window (GUCE) was signed on 10 October 2013, between the Republic of Togo, represented by Madame Bernadette Legzim-Balouki (Minister of Trade), Monsieur Adji Otèth Ayassor (Minister of Finance) and Monsieur Ninsao Gnofam (Minister of Public Works and Transport) and the Consortium Bureau Veritas BIVAC / SOGET).

The creation of the Single Window is one of the structural reforms put in place by the Togolese Republic to enhance the competitiveness of its economy and to take advantage of its strategic geographical location. The GUCE is the realization of the will of Madame Bernadette Legzim-Balouki to develop the private sector by promoting a more attractive business environment. “As part of improving the business climate in Togo, the Single Window for Foreign Trade is one of the urgent government programs” confirmed Madame Bernadette Legzim-Balouki.

According to Olivier Lederer, CEO of SEGUCE Togo, “this innovative solution meets the
requirements of trade facilitation. It reduces the time and costs of commercial transactions and related logistic operations, simplifies procedures for import, export and transit, and improves transparency in relations between the business community and the authorities.”

The GUCE is an electronic platform open to all operators and users involved in the operation of foreign trade (import, export, transit and transhipment) performed in Togo. It serves as a unique support to all procedures and formalities for clearance and removal of goods at all points of entry and exit from the territory (Port of Lomé, border crossings and airport).

At the heart of GUCE is also a system of centralized billing, which includes the costs related to importation in a single point of invoicing (DFU- Document de Frais Unique), allowing simultaneous payment at a single point. In the framework of the implementation of the Single Window, commissions work closely with SEGUCE Togo, on such projects as change management, training and procedures, under the technical supervision of the Ministry of Trade and Private Sector Promotion in association with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

According to Laurence Debain, Business Process Expert at SOGET: “The project in collaboration with Togolese operators is a real success thanks to their motivation and involvement in the project. Following a gap analysis, the Single Window has been deployed in a few months. From now one, Togolese public and private stakeholders benefit from the very first improvement in their operations through the Single Window.”

“The launch of the Single Window is the result of ambitious participatory work which began in 2013, mobilising all foreign trade operators, both public and private” said Olivier Lederer. “The launch of the pilot phase for maritime imports allows to bring together all relevant players for suitable change management, irrespective of the external commercial operation. It will affect the overall efficiency of the process.”

Launch of the maritime pilot phase
The pilot phase is a critical milestone in the implementation of the Single Window for Foreign Trade (GUCE) in Togo built in collaboration with public and private stakeholders. It brings in to effective operation the import functionalities of the GUCE for pilot actors involved in maritime imports. This phase also includes the implementation of centralized payments to facilitate and expedite the passage of goods and coaching each actor with pilot training which will provide for optimal management of change.

In the pilot phase, the GUCE will manage the different stages of maritime import, from the
announcement of the ship arrival to the release of the goods:
1. Prediction of call
2. Ships manifest
3. Vessel arrival
4. Discharge
5. Delivery Order
6. Customs Declaration
7. Issue of invoices
8. Payment of Fees – DFU
9. Transporter Identification
10. Release Note and release of goods
This first step will be followed in the autumn by extension to all import functionality, export,
transshipment and transit for freight traffic. In 2015, the GUCE be extended to land borders and Lome airport.
Source: SOGET