Govt moves a gear up to enhance trade facilitation through the borders

GOVERNMENT yesterday moved a gear up as it seeks to remove regional and international trade barriers at its port of entry following the successful launch of the Zimbabwe Electronic Single Window (ZESW) initiative.

The concept was introduced in 2022 as part of measures to enhance efficient clearance of legitimate traffic and trade facilitation at the country’s ports of entry.

The main objective of the ZESW is to improve trade facilitation and to achieve efficiency to boost revenue collection, enforcement of trade laws, social protection, and providing business intelligence to the Government.

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) is the lead agency is rolling the project in phases and providing the coordination and harmonization of clearance processes.

Currently there are 22 border agencies at major ports authorities including Beitbridge whose operations are being merged and streamlined under the ZESW.

The facility enhances the Government’s ease of doing business mantra as outlined in the Trading Across Borders concept.

“The facility allows parties involved in trade facilitation to lodge standardized information and documents electronically with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit related regulatory requirements,” said ZIMRA’s Head of Compliance and Automation, Mr Adrian Swarres.

“So far, we are implementing the Ministry of Health and Child Care- Port Health module in the Zimbabwe electronic single window system. This was first rolled out and implemented at Forbes border post in September last year and in November last year it was also rolled out and implemented at Robert Mugabe international Airport,” he said.

“So, Beitbridge border post is the next port where the first transactions for Beitbridge Port Health started today (yesterday”.

The first phase of the ZESW saw an intensive mapping exercise and integration of all key processes on the Single Window platform.

The major beneficiaries of the single window initiative will be importers and exporters, shipping and freight forwarders, funeral parlours, the transport sector, customs administration.

Government departments and agencies, whose mandate includes the movement of food, drugs, health, agricultural-related products, and environment are gradually being incorporated in the ZESW facility.

“Under this programme, clients and stakeholders will not be moving from one agency to another as all the regulatory and transitory services,” said Mr Swarres.

“Processes and payments will now be done online through a single platform, thus faster, better, and transparent. We urge our clients to fully embrace this programme as we continue to minimise or cut on service delivery bottlenecks.”

The official said where it is in use, the ZESW was helping address compliance related challenges, boosting efficient and productive use of resources, and the enhanced collection of fees, duties, and penalties.

Other benefits include a better risk analysis, improved security, reductions in corruption and illegal trade activities, enhanced transparency, ease of access to trade statistics, and accountability.

The ZESW rides on a robust digital platform and ZIMRA is already activating its system in readiness for the integration and data processing from other agencies.

“Realising that this is a largely internet based programme, we have engaged and advised internet services providers at the borders to up their game so that we move together in our drive to ensure there is better trade facilitation,” said Mr Swarres.

He said they had trained a number of people from across sectors on the ZESW processes to minimise teething challenges.

A transporter based in Beitbridge, Mr Anoziva Keche, who was the first to register an entry at the border yesterday, said the development would cut on the turnaround time cargo was spending at the border.

“With this new facility, we are looking forward to pushing through more cargo via the border with minimal challenges, provided one has a good internet connection,” he said.

According to South African-based funeral parlour operator, Ms Vivian Nenhunzi, the introduction of pre-clearance systems and merging of services at the borders was a smart move by the Government of Zimbabwe.

“We are excited and it is pleasing to note that now we can do all the port health clearances a day before moving bodies and make payments online and only go through compliance checks upon reaching the border. “This is a compassionate move considering that most grieving families don’t wish to go through the agony of delays at the border,” she said.

Zimbabwe through major ports including Beitbridge, Chirundu, Victoria Falls and Forbes provides the gateway to Africa through the north and south corridor, hence efficient trade facilitation at the country’s ports of entry is key for the region’s rapid economic growth.-chronicle