International Maritime Organization (IMO), the African Transport Policy Program (SSATP), the World Bank, and the Ministry of Transport of Côte d’Ivoire recently organized a sub-regional workshop to advance the implementation of the IMO’s mandatory Maritime Single Window in 12 French-speaking African countries.
According to a press release, the Maritime Single Window is a centralized digital platform that enables transparent information exchange between ships and government agencies, simplifying procedures for ship arrival, stay, and departure in ports. By improving data quality and reducing errors, the platform facilitates trade, lowers logistics costs, and strengthens the competitiveness of African ports.
The workshop brought together 79 participants, including 20 women, representing maritime administrations, port authorities, and customs agencies from Benin, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritania, Senegal, and Togo.
Participants strengthened regional knowledge on implementing Maritime Single Window systems by sharing lessons learned and best practices from IMO needs assessment missions conducted in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Member states presented their current port systems, allowing for peer learning on progress, challenges, and opportunities. They emphasized that Maritime Single Window systems are essential components of a broader, harmonized regional trade facilitation ecosystem.
The workshop enabled countries to accelerate the deployment of Maritime Single Window systems by deepening their understanding of the IMO Convention on the Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic.
This knowledge will help improve coordination among port stakeholders and clarify funding and policy requirements for implementing Maritime Single Window systems.
Source: allafrica
