NAIROBI, Kenya, 15th April 2016 – The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) in partnership with TradeMark Africa (TMA) have today officially launched the KNCCI trade portal that will automate issuance of Certificate of Origin.
A certificate of origin is an important export document that confirms the country of origin of goods in a particular export shipment. This system has also been integrated to Equity Bank, allowing for real time payments and receipt of notifications through mobile phones or online. In attendance at the launch was Joseph Kiplagat; Director Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment who represented Industrialization Permanent Secretary (PS) Julius Korir, Mr. Kiprono Kittony; the chairman of KNCCI and David Stanton; TMA Director General.
Speaking at the launch, Mr. Kiprono Kittony the chairman of KNCCI said, “The portal is in response to the challenge exporters’ face in accessing manual certificate of origin including delays. It will enhance security of the exports documents, create more transparency and speed in the issuance of the ordinary Certificate of Origin and thereby actively play its facilitator role in enhancing a friendly trade environment.”
TradeMark Africa Director General added, “TMA is pleased to continue supporting KNCCI to improve efficiency and save time for traders. What we expect from this investment is a simplified process that will reduce the time it takes to acquire a Certificate of Origin by half. This has a direct monetary benefit for businesses.”
With the online portal, KNCCI stakeholders (members and non-members alike) will experience less delays synonymous with the manual systems. In addition to certificate application, the portal also allows for online membership registration, access to relevant trade information as related to type of business, and verification.
The overarching benefit of the system is increased efficiency and transparency in business operation of the Chamber. An immediate time reduction in acquisition of a certificate of origin is expected from 2 days to less than 1 hour. The reductions will be realised due to the elimination of travels and physical verification required in the manual process. In readiness for the roll out, KNCCI has undertaken training and member sensitization in all the five key regions including Mombasa, Nairobi, Eldoret, Kisumu and Naivasha.
TMA has provided technical and financial support to KNCCI in enhancing trade environment, increasing market access and increased competitiveness. TMA is spearheading adoption of ICT within key government and private sector institutions to transform their processes and increase efficiencies. The KNCCI trade portal is part of the Kenyan government digitization process, and will be integrated to the Kenya Electronic Single Window.
TradeMark Africa (TMA) is an aid-for-trade organisation that was established with the aim of growing prosperity in East Africa through increased trade. TradeMark Africa (TMA) operates on a not-for-profit basis and is funded by the development agencies of the following countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, UK, and USA. TradeMark Africa (TMA) works closely with East African Community (EAC) institutions, national governments, the private sector and civil society organisations.
