Single Window Development and Implementation Experience of Mauritius

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Single Window Development and Implementation
Experience of Mauritius
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Background to the initiative

• Strategy of Mauritius in the early 1990s
• After the success of the EPZs (mainly in the
  textile industry), plan to strengthen the economy
  through the further diversification of economic
  activities
• Decision to increase investment and services in
  IT
• Recommendations to that end by the World Bank in
  1993, followed by several studies
• One of the feasibility studies establishment of
  an network to facilitate the processing of trade
  documents by electronic means

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Design and development process

• An extensive analysis was carried out by the
  public authorities in Mauritius
• the most important aspect of the project
  submission, processing and approval of
  declarations and permits by electronic means, and
  provision of information on the movement of goods
  were defined
• intensive discussions with potential partners
  (locally and abroad) and future users were
  initiated
• The Mauritius Network Services Ltd. was
  incorporated on 15th. April 1994 as a private
  company

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Structure of TradeNet

• The Mauritius system called TradeNet is a
  joint venture between
• - Mauritian public and private sector
  interests (representing the main actors of
  the economy), and - a foreign partner
  providing know-how and experience
• Shareholders of Mauritius Network Services Ltd.
  are - Maurinet Investments Ltd. (60 of
  equity) - 53 held by 4
  Mauritian public bodies, and - 47
  held by the Chamber of Commerce Industry
• - Crimson Logic Ltd. of Singapore (40 of
  equity) (formerly Singapore
  Network Services Ltd.)

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Services of TradeNet

• Submission, processing and approval of
  declarations to Customs within a 15-minute
  timeframe
• Access to air and sea cargo manifests, ships
  arrivals and departures, movement of containers,
  etc.
• Notice of release of consignments
• Processing and approval of import and export
  permits
• Payment of duties by electronic means
• Using TradeNet, a Contributions Network Project
  has been launched, allowing the payment of
  various fees taxes (VAT, PAYE, Corp. Tax) and
  contributions by employers to the
  National Pensions Fund

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The technology behind TradeNet

• The Mauritius TradeNet is an EDI-based network
  that allows documents and trade information to be
  entered into the system and electronically
  transmitted between all parties involved in the
  movement of goods (imports and exports) and the
  Customs Department
• Linking with TradeNet at Customs level, a Customs
  Management System (in fact a Single Window)
  allows the automatic processing and approval of
  Customs declarations and provides information
• The system can be easily used with a PC, a
  modem, a telephone line and a Declarant ID

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Participants in the Single Window

• The participants in the Single Window are all the
  Government Departments, business concerns and
  other agencies involved in the countrys
  international trade and movement of goods
  - the
  Customs Excise Department
  - importers, exporters and re-exporters
  -
  freight forwarders
  - the Port Authority
  and its cargo handling agency - the
  shipping/airline companies and their agents
  - the Ministry of International Trade
  - the Chamber of
  Commerce Industry

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Clients of MauriNet

• The main users of the system are
  - the clearing and forwarding
  agents - large
  firms who hire their own representatives for the
  clearance/ forwarding of their consignments
  - Ministries and other public
  bodies
• Close to 400 public and private bodies/concerns
  are currently linked to the Mauritius TradeNet
  system
• Submissions can be made round the clock (24/7).
  Over 1000 declarations on average
  are received and processed every working
  day by the countrys Customs
  Excise Department

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Business model of TradeNet

• Joint-venture functioning 100 as a private
  concern
• Equity ( USD 1 million) provided by shareholders
• Monopoly of the service within the economic
  system
• Self-sustainability perspective right from the
  start
• Activities financed from 2 sources
• - a software single-user licence of 1300 at
  the outset - a service fee of USD 5.-
  per declaration sent thru MNS
• Highly successful and profitable activity
• - share value multiplied by eight since
  1994
• - yearly dividends 90 of funds
  invested

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Results of TradeNet

• Reduction in processing time of Customs
  declarations from days/several hours to 15 min.
• Declarations sent/information retrieved from
  ones office
• Paper returns and payments eliminated
• One-stop process one window ? one interlocutor
• Reduction of errors thru the use of a standard
  software
• Harmonisation/control on deadlines and info
  frameworks
• Enhancement of transparency and productivity
• Conclusive public/private sector collaboration
• Considerable improvement in trade efficiency

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Lessons learned from TradeNet

• Carefully planned and properly implemented, a
  Single Window system is potentially
  self-sustainable, and even highly profitable,
  anywhere in the world
• Certain trade facilitation services directly
  involving the business community succeed best
  thru joint initiatives of Govt. departments and
  Private Sector institutions
• Full engagement of the Ministries and Govt.
  agencies concerned throughout is an absolute must
  
• Some parties will attempt to torpedo the
  initiative
• Regular technological updating is necessary
• Once telecoms is OK, a SW becomes a must

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What are the future plans for the
Single Window?

• As already mentioned, the TradeNet system has
  made it possible to set up an offshoot, the
  Contributions Network
• The Mauritian CMS is now used by the Ghana
  Customs
• Plans for the future include
• - digitalisation of remaining Customs forms
• - submission and approval of certificates of
  origin
• - implementation of a risk management system
• - selling of serially-numbered digitalised
  forms to traders
• - introduction of an UNeDocs system enabling
  the electronic exchange of trade documents

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UNECE UN/CEFACT