www.guce.gouv.ciwww.guce.gouv.ci

Challenges for an Implementation of an Electronic Single Window

By Sam Toyota,

AACE - Nairobi Conference, 14 March 2017

www.guce.gouv.ci

The Most Critical Challenges

1. Lack of support from government bodies participating in EWS implementation

2. Complicated procedures and document requirements 3. Budget and human resource constraints 4. Organization and human resistance to change 5. Inadequate coordination between Customs, other Regulatory

Institutions and the Trade Community 6. Laws and legal challenges, inadequate legal framework 7. Resistance for acceptance of the designated leading agency 8. Lack of information and communication technology (ICT) 9. Security sensitivity issues – trust (Due to centralized information

sharing and electronic documents) 10. Public Awareness and Communication

www.guce.gouv.ci

1. Lack of support from government

bodies participating in EWS

Implementation• Single window implementation is a national level project. Too broad then become Political

• SW Requires massive changes to the existing system with in government ministries, agencies participating to the single window and huge investments.

• Most of the experts accept the lack of government support as a critical challenge. Governments sometimes mostly focused on physical infrastructure development (ports, highways and airports) than soft infrastructure development projects such as a single window.

• Only powerful high rang government decisions is the only party who can change this system overnight by bringing an Act of Parliament or making amendments to the existing rules. We not only need the government permission but also need the government support to implement single window.

www.guce.gouv.ci

2. Complicated procedures and

document requirements

• Most of existing documentation procedures are complex and require a large number of documents.

• Different agencies use different formats in issuing licenses/permits.• Most of existing Procedures are very much complex. A single

document requires many approvals and it is passed through multiple channels before get approved

• But the single window system requires standard documents and simplified.

• All parties should agree to use a common format for a permit / license and use only the data elements included in the standard models (WCO Data Model, APEC, AAEE etc...)

www.guce.gouv.ci

3. Financial and human resource

constraints

• Single window project needs huge financial investments • Expensive experts to implement and maintain the system. • Very little number of single window experts around the world• It’s a great challenge to implement a system without experienced

human resources. • Lack of ICT skills with in some if not most of medium and small

entreprise especially in the trading business.• IT tools requires a heavy budget, this become a greatest challenge if

the government, Donor communities and Private sectors does not intervene.

www.guce.gouv.ci

4. Organization and human resistance to

change • Some agencies derive their operating revenue, all or in part, from fees collected.

Simplification is asking them to kill their funding.• Some agencies are duplicate Customs services and do not want to lose staffing and

status.• Traders are also not willing to change current practices of bribe• Most of the government agencies are corrupted and employees are stick to those

unethical practices. • Today the bribing has become an industrial norm. • In both the regulatory agencies and traders,• Automation and single window systems can eliminate unethical practices such as bribing

and wastage. • These people are really against the single window system and will show a huge

resistance to change.• Financial Constraint for small business fund to new additional costs caused by the

automation(Power, internet, computers, printers and IT training

www.guce.gouv.ci

5. Inadequate coordination between Customs,

other Regulatory Institutions and the Trade

Community

• Single widow system brings different organizations under a one roof.• Inter organizational coordination is vital in a single window system.• Bureaucratic attitude and mind-set of the government officials,

hierarchical organization structures and political agendas prevent the development of collaborative approaches.

• Fear to loos power of each institutions is rampant during the initial phase of single window

www.guce.gouv.ci

6. Laws and legal challenges, inadequate

legal framework

• Implementation of single window requires new policy formulation which in turn urges for amendments to the existing regulations or formulating new regulations.

• Most of government agencies and Customs most cases are still governed by the a legal framework which was set even prior to the independence.

• It does not permit to implement several functions required by a single window system namely use of computer, paperless environment, electronic signature etc..

• Different agencies involved in trade which are governed by different ministers, different acts of parliament . Bringing them under a single authority requires significant changes to the existing laws

www.guce.gouv.ci

7. Resistance for acceptance of the

designated leading Agency

• The leading agency is responsible for the management of the single window implementation program. • It is crucial that the single window project includes a strong lead agency. • Very difficulty that an agreement between government agencies as to who should take up the lead

role can be reached easily without third party powerful involvement. • In many countries several attempts of single window implementation failed due to the private sector

representation as the lead role without Government ownership. • Many options of lead agency:

• Customs administration• Ministry of finance, trade, transport• PPP,• Purely Private• New government body

• It should be noted t has been accepted among all stakeholders that is not proper for one stakeholder to take the lead role in the process

www.guce.gouv.ci

8. Lack of information and communication

technology (ICT)

• Government, Big business and Customs sometimes are fully automated

• But majority of small scale traders still use manual procedures.

• They are not armed with IT facilities or employees who are capable of work with IT systems.

• This leads to Failure as well

www.guce.gouv.ci

9. Security sensitivity issues – trust (Due to

centralized information sharing and electronic

documents)• Some organizations are not willing to exchange information through a

centralized system. • Most of the organizations are not satisfied with electronic documents and

their minds have set to approve physical documents. • Information submitted by traders may include commercially-sensitive

information, trade- sensitive information, financially sensitive information, etc. • There is a higher risk of misuse and abuse of information submitted and

maintained in electronic form. • Abscence of legal framework on cybercrime, electronic commerce and more

especially the acceptability of digital evidence in courts of law• Legal protections and constraints on use of such information are necessary to

prevent misuse. • In the abscence that can fuel th resistance or delays of implementation

www.guce.gouv.ci

10. Public awareness and communication

• Stakeholder engagements

• Seminars

• Prevent and Fights misinformation

www.guce.gouv.ciCase Studies Challenge approach– Cote

d’Ivoire

• POLITICAL WILL

• New strategic and political agenda of the state prompted all sectors (education, media, transport,

foreign trade...) to create a paperless environment and computerization of their management systemsso as to make access to information faster and therefore improve their efficiency.

• Government objective is to transform Côte d’Ivoire to an emerging country by the year 2020 and be

ranged within the TOP 50 of the Doing business Ranking in 2018.

• IMPLEMENTATION STEPS

2 agreements were signed, respectively on GUCE-CI and on the « Ruling Center », Center of

Excellence for the determination, classification and valuation of imports.

Choice of a strategic partner for the implementation: the WEBB FONTAINE Group (specialized in

advanced e-Government solutions aiming at modernizing administrations and facilitating international

trade).

www.guce.gouv.ciCase Studies Challenge Approach– Cote

d’Ivoire

– Funding - Creation of Webb Fontaine CI under a partnership arrangement

(PPP)

– Poor Infrastructure - Infrastructure upgrade- equipment, telecom network,

datacenter.

– Resistance to change - Establishment of project teams in collaboration

with customs, Ministry of Trade, Technical Ministry, ports, banks and

private sectors.

– Inadequate skills level - Skills transfer from the start of the project, our

partner’s technical team.

– Reconcile all stakeholder priority needs - Module by module

implementation tailor-made single window.

– Ownership and sustainability – Government is a shareholder in Webb Fontaine CI, managed by Ivorian's