(independantexpress.net)
The current health situation in Togo has brought all the savings to their knees. All sources of income are blocked. All activities are idling. Customs, one of the economic lungs of the paid, is also weakened by COVID-19. But soon the managers brought innovations in order to keep this lung pending. In this interview, the Head Of Customs at the Autonomous Port of Lomé, Colonel Moses AKAYA, talks about the major innovations made to the autonomous port of Lomé in the fight against covid19, and spoke about the various reforms undertaken in his sector in improving its performance. Reading…
Mr. AKAYA, you are the head of customs operations at the autonomous port of Lomé. Yes! You recognize that today the activity, the flow, the flow is not the same because the corona has been there.
Yes, indeed, it must be acknowledged that the advent of the covid-19 pandemic since December 2019 has significantly impacted activities at the autonomous port of Lomé. Among the consequences is the drastic decline in activities. Imports are down and customs revenues are also declining.
AKAYA Moise, then the autonomous port of Lomé in covid19, it is well known that you, at your level also, you have taken measures barriers and you allow your customers to respect them?
Alliance Togo Informatique
Of course! The barrier measures are clearly enacted by the government through all the communiqués that are taken and that pass on channels. Among these measures barriers: the wearing of masks in each port entrance, the temperature reading and the distance that must be observed. We are also working to ensure that there is not too much crowding.
At the office level, we know very well that often a whole team works. Is there a set-up of alternation, turnover or is it always the same pace as before?
So compared to the gathering at the office level, it must be said that long before covid19, customs under the impetus of the business climate unit undertook some reforms. I am talking about the dematerialization of the customs procedure; and the purpose of these reforms was to make it less crowded, less contact. It's like we've been anticipating things. So, with the advent of covid19, everything that has been initiated as reforms, is like an anticipation of the authorities. So, going into this dynamic of reform, today it is as if we were already prepared to fight the covd19.
Does this mean that for quite some time, you have spent much more time in digitization, putting much more emphasis on everything that is digital in the processing of procedures?
Yes, since January 2019, we have already started the proceedings, and so the advent of covid19 in December 2019 has made us accelerate the reform quickly and today it is good.
So, Mr. AKAYA, still with regard to this economic situation related to the health crisis, things are not the same as before. As you said earlier, the economic sector is well impacted. Today, when we see the fluctuation, the frequency of requests, the exits of vehicles and other goods, what is the trend today?
I believe that, as I said earlier, it must be recognized that the barrier measures taken, including the closure of borders and the reduced movement of economic operators, are having a serious impact on the advent of goods. At the port level, we are not at the same level as before. We have to recognize this, because when we are already applying these restrictive measures, we have to recognize that the outflow of goods is also impacted. I would actually like to go back to the actual reforms to say that we have seriously undertaken these reforms and the results are palpable. When you look a little bit at the certificate of origin, before you would have to go to the management level of the industry, get the certificate of origin application form signed and then you go to customs. It's a whole journey that needs to be done. So this reform allowed the application for a certificate of origin to be introduced online and via a website dedicated to it, which is located at the level of the Chamber of Commerce. There, the industry management receives the request, processes the request and then sends it to the customs level. And at the customs level also a processing has been done and everything is going well. Before it takes 48 hours now in less than one hour, we have already issued the certificate of origin online,
So the other phase of dematerialization was to ensure that all returns sent through the automated system could be made online.
So the forwarder, he tries to scan, he scans the documents, he annexes them to the declaration in detail and from his office he sends them into our system at the SYDONIA level. The customs officer to whom the declaration is assigned carries out the documentary study, does all the necessary monitoring, and sends the declaration with the tax duties liquidated to the operator who in turn, having the notification of debt to be paid, passes to the bank, pays and the customs officer to the notification of payment. It delivers the voucher to remove online also. You see? So these are practices that are already there and that we are always looking to improve in order to achieve a performance that is well accepted by all. First of all, I'm telling you, it's going very well.
To hear you, Mr. AKAYA, I may be wrong, but we are not really touching the cash flow anymore, but we are doing a lot more transfers. We're going through the machines.
Absolutely! We don't touch cash and even papers anymore. The paper versions, in my explanation you understand that no paper should circulate.
It must be recognized that the circuit at the terminus, I mean at the exit of the port, is the auditor, ie the customs officer who must follow perhaps the deposit in town for the declarations followed by control that prints and holds the physical document that he needs to go to do the check in the city and therefore in the facilities of economic operators. That is what is being strongly encouraged now.
We're always going to talk about this likely downsizing. How is it happening at the customs level at the autonomous port of Lomé Mr. AKAYA?
Thank you very much. It must be said that at the customs level we have not reviewed our staff and have instead strengthened what is called home control. So we make sure that the economic operator feels relief in terms of cost, in terms of time spent and has its goods in its facilities. And so to that end, colleagues accompany. So we need a workforce that is more deployed towards home visits. So when you come to visit our offices, it's a clear complement but the work is done behind it. You will feel that there is a reduction in the number of people, but no, we are here. We're keeping a close eye on traffic, the removal of goods.
Doesn't that entail additional costs when there is still a need to strengthen the number of people there.
All the reforms undertaken are aimed at a substantial reduction in time costs and above all the security of goods. It must be recognized that the impact of covid19 has meant that there are other costs that have increased. People will think it is more reform, but no. The reform does not increase the burden on economic operators, but rather reduces it.
So I am convinced that at the end of this crisis people will really feel the impact of the reforms that have been undertaken. And we are already working so that even before the end of this crisis, that people feel that they are more relieved. And this work is already being done,
I think it has to be said, you see, at the export level, you only need two documents attached to the declaration.
So you have your bill and then the export certificate for shipments worth more than ten million.
So at the import level, it was four documents, but as recently as yesterday, the fourth document is no longer required. I am talking about the verification certificate. So now with the bill, you have Antaser and then the bill of lading. The three documents are already sufficient to initiate customs formalities. So that's the lesser cost associated with it. So when we talk about few documents, few formalities to do, it means less loads, less time and the operator gains.
Mr. AKAYA you have been in the field for several years, you are even a specialist. Today when we see, the current situation precisely at the level of computerization on procedures etc. You are apparently satisfied that there is a progression being made.
Yes but more than satisfied, you know, you must always be part of a dynamic of self-questioning; because it is often said that who does not move backwards. Our port has always been called a deep-water port, and when you look at the other ports in the sub-region, people do the curage. So that means that soon, the other ports will also be in deep water. Now what's the difference? It's that our port has to be so competitive in terms of the time that people are going to put in. The aim is to ensure that the container once it arrives only 24 hours to get out.
Is that possible?
Yes it is possible. You know, customs can take up to two hours to process. Imagine the handler who takes a fortnight, it means that everything that customs has done has fallen through the cracks. I believe that the authorities are already aware of this and there is a commission that has been set up for coordinated management of all these activities at the port; so we are already working to identify the small points where there are blockages, even if it is not at the customs level, it is the handler, we have to go to him. If it's at the house consignitary you have to go, so you see, it's quite a chain. And when a link is already affected, the whole chain is called into question. We must therefore all work together to ensure that the result is a very accepted overall result.
This time we are going to talk about the difficulty of customers with regard to the deposit, in relation to the duration of the removal of the goods. Today What can you tell us about this?
It must be recognized that the barrier measures that are introduced in the context of the fight against covid19 have seriously impacted the overall performance of the port in terms of the removal of goods. It must be said that before we could depot at the level of TP3, 200 container per day. Today we are below that figure, so it means that an operator who, in time, could quickly get his goods, whether in transit or for local consumption, we have to wait maybe two or three days before removing it.
The great difficulty associated with all this is what we call demurrage, demurrage, are penalties that are imposed on economic operators who cannot get their goods out within the free time frames that are given. So compared to all these difficulties related to the space of the dump, I mean the medians, we can no longer receive all the containers for the dumps at once. There is a committee that has been set up to deal with these difficulties. It identifies all the difficulties encountered and provides appropriate solutions.
So all that is beyond our competence, we appeal to them. We report back to the authority that always provides appropriate solutions.
Today, we are being instructed to enforce barrier measures and to ensure that operations do not stop at the port. Just yesterday, we were at 20 containers at LCT, we went to 60 today.
That's better…
This is and we aim to go beyond respecting the barrier measures, but I think it must be said that in managing all its difficulties related to the pandemic crisis, the authorities are also working to see how economic operators can be relieved in relation to parking costs and demurrage. At present the grievances are on the desks of our authorities who will soon give appropriate answers.
Mr. Akaya, we talked earlier about the case of the dump. Are there other sites today that could be planned because there you have to get the goods out, others come and go. have some continuity?
Of course, it must be said that in the momentum of the search for solutions related to the space dedicated to the deposit, we have deviated from customs regulations to allow goods that are in transit on the 'yem8' regime, for example, to be transferred to customs-clearance stores, to be deposited there, loaded and put into transit; if not normally before, you have to dump them there or introduce a summary declaration of transfer to Mad first but if you have lifted a transit declaration and you are faced with the problem of space for the dump you can be allowed to take the goods out of the port and go to a site that you have negotiated yourself, and you are followed , we're doing the dumping. These are the solutions that have been put in place to relieve people.
You haven't abandoned your customers at all…
Not at all, it is in difficult times that you have to support a friend.
Exactly. There was talk of transit in the countries of the Hinterland. It is well known that Togo also wins in these areas; how is it managed today, Mr. AKAYA?
Thank you very much. I think it should be pointed out that transit is a customs regime that allows the goods to be transported from one point to another that is suspended from tax duties. So for this purpose everything that leaves the port for the countries of the Hinterland, crosses our territory suspended from tax duties. So it is economic operators who come for example from Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and whose goods pass through the port, so at that moment we are working for a speed in the removal of these goods. And transit is tracked electronically. It's been there ever since, long before covid19. So right now we are making sure the hinterland countries do not feel too much the weight of this pandemic crisis, we accompany them enough with all the awareness behind with an attentive ear to say if there is a problem, that is what we can do.
'
Today the transshipments, it continues through the territory even if some poles are closed?
Yes it continues, it must be said that the closure of the borders does not concern the traffic of goods
Mr AKAYA still concerning economic operators, today, since you work with them, you think their sector is becoming more and more professional? They manage to be in tune with reforms put in place by the autonomous port of Lomé?
Affirmative, it must be said that a forwarder is indeed an auxiliary of customs and as such, he must master customs regulations. So he acts as an intermediary between his client and then customs. I often tend to tell them that they should not get the wrong side. Indeed they are the auxiliaries, it means that we must not play a game that will harm customs interests. That's what we're talking about, so if you're not professional in mastering the customs codes and the accompanying regulations, you can never get away with it. It means that it's always litigation that you're going to be dragging, so the forwarders also benefit from all our training and all the retraining, so that having the same understanding of the texts, we can manage things better.
It's important…
Yes, very important! So for the reform that has been undertaken, it must be said that the authorities have taken into account all the concerns raised by the forwarders and even their office has been well installed and well treated. By that I mean that the computer tools, the installation was done. Because if your respondent is not up to the task, you won't be able to perform well and have the same language, so the better they understand, the further we go.
Have you provided them with software that they can work with?
Of course! In this reform and in this process of dematerialization, they had difficulties, we had to accompany them so that we were in phase and have the same language. That is what has been done and we continue to do.
So Mr. AKAYA, last question in this interview, much more personal, how you currently live this situation on a day-to-day basis.
You've probably heard a little bit about the quota that we get after the budget vote, and when you see the revenue that doesn't go up, you don't feel comfortable and it's very worrying, you feel sick, you ask what to do. We have been taken full by this nasty pandemic and we are praying that it will end and that our momentum will be restored. It must be said that this situation puts us in a state of sadness.
Is there a plan for a rapid recovery after the pandemic?
Yes, why not. We have a whole program there. We are already working to strengthen this reform, strengthen cohesion among the port's stakeholders and ensure that everything is revitalized so that at the end of the pandemic, the port regains its momentum.
I want to encourage our transiting partners who always accompany us to really get involved, and to ensure that together and in a concerted way, we can really work and make sure that the port that is indeed in the number 1 axis of the PND, being itself seen as the logistics hub is really a very competitive port so that, when we land a container container , in less than 24 hours, you can get it quickly at home. Time saving is very important. Ensure that all operations are done at a lower cost and in total security of goods.
We would have to work in that direction. Even if we are currently sick, we must never lose sight of this and we will win; because talking about the business climate is good, we need to clean it up. That is, attracting investment. Once you've made the investments, you create jobs. However, there will be few unemployed people in Togo.
Interview by Angelo Follykoe of Sport FM
Transcript, Diane Olobi (The Independent Express)
www.independantexpress.net
