ISCOS’
new mobile app to report, monitor, and resolve NTBs at ports and along with the trade
and transport corridors
Importers and exporters using Mombasa and Dar es
Salaam port can now breathe a deep sigh of relief following the development of
a mobile-based application to report, monitor, and resolve Non-Tariff Barriers
(NTBs) along the trade and transport corridors by the Intergovernmental
Standing Committee on Shipping (ISCOS).
The platform, dubbed “ISCOS Shipplinc”, is accessible
via an app that can be freely downloaded by Android and iPhone operating
systems, and provides information on various aspects of freight logistics and
international trade, including information on regional trade corridors and port
key performance indicators which are fed into the system regularly.
Anyone with a smartphone can now download the
application through Google Play Store and report Non-Tariff Barriers, report
any other incidence, seek information or give any other feedback through the
app.
Despite the progress the regional logistics has made,
it is still experiencing persistent non-tariff barriers arising from administrative
and procedural processes that have increased the cost of doing business.
ISCOS is an initiative of four states – Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia – and plays a key advisory role on shipping and
maritime matters, geared towards enhancing regional trade, harmonizing shipping
and maritime policy in the Member States and other initiatives geared towards
reducing the cost of doing business while improving efficiency in the logistics
chain.
The app will also cover ISCOS non-Member States using
the Dar es Salaam Corridor, a multi-modal transport route running from the port
in Dar es Salaam through to landlocked Malawi, Zambia, and southern Democratic The Republic of Congo.
The new platform, which was rolled out after
piloting also includes a cargo tracking module for monitoring the movement of
cargo along the main road corridors and transit routes in the region linked to
the Mombasa and Dar es Salaam ports.
Traders using the ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam
can now report an incident and receive updates of their cargo from loading to
the destination on mobile phone using the new application.
ISCOS secretary general Daniel Kiange, in a recent
media interview said the platform has come at a time when the continent is
positioning itself for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).
Mr. Kiange said the Shipplinc community helps reduce
some of the risks experienced in the export and import industry by “keeping you
informed on the latest transit updates”.
"The app is simplified to allow anyone in the
freight and logistics to interact with it and it will end the communication gap
which has been in the industry for many years. The platform has provisions to
report any agency not giving services as required and also getting feedback and
any information regarding importation and exportation of goods," said Mr
Kiange.
The platform which has been launched in East African
countries including Zambia is two-way structured communication between
shippers, service providers, and policymakers providing meaningful linkages
between key players in the industry.
Already, users have expressed optimism to the
platform since it offers instant, real-time support, and information.
"The application offers a platform to players in
the freight and logistics sector since it's a venue to report incidences, any
NTBs and policies which are considered to be bottlenecks in the movement of
cargo in intra-regional and international trade right from overseas sources to
the place of destination and vice-versa," said John Omondi, a Mombasa
based importer.
Five years ago ISCOS developed, a mobile-phone an application that was able to gather information and data from the users of the
Northern, Central, and Dar es Salaam Corridors, the regional ports, and border
points dubbed m-SHIP.
The application was used to monitor causes of delays
in the shipping industry and along the trade routes.
It also opened an avenue for feedback from users of
services and trade routes, a crucial aspect of the delivery of service, and enabled
ISCOS to monitor the effectiveness of service from the users. Just like Shipplinc,
this initiative also forms part of ISCOS’ commitment when it signed the Mombasa
Port and Northern Corridor Community Charter in 2015.
ISCOS was mandated to establish and implement the real-time monitoring system that captures the actual experiences and feedback
about service providers from users of Mombasa port and the Northern Corridor
