The new online portal will reduce time and costs taken to issue import and export certificates and permits of plants, animal materials and agrichemicals by up to 45%.
Kigali, Rwanda, 19 August 2016: It is a double win for importers and exporters of plants/plants materials, animals/animal products and agrichemicals in Rwanda, as they will spend less time and spend less when acquiring import and export permits. The gains follow the development and commissioning of an online trade management information portal. This re-engineering has automated the systems and processes used by Rwanda Agricultural Livestock Inspection and Certification services (RALIS) to regulate and facilitate businesses involved in international trade in the agricultural sector in Rwanda.
Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture developed the portal through a direct project funding of US$ 150 000 (One hundred and fifty thousand US dollars) from TradeMark Africa (TMA) the region’s fore Trade Facilitation institution. The announcement was made during the official launch of the portal graced by Hon. Tony Roberto Nsanganira, the State Minister of Agriculture.
Hon. Nsanganira lauded the new development saying that, “ICT is no longer an option but a necessity in order to reach the economic development. We can hardly do without it. We rely on the ICTs for almost all our daily activities including communications, transport, businesses, just to mention these few. This portal will reduce costs and delays, enhancing compliance enforcement, as well as better transparency, accountability and competency among the traders, transportation agencies and government authorities; it interfaces with Electronic Single Window, which also eases the clearance activities and exchanging information among multiple government agencies. The system will also eliminate the SPS Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) serving no justified purpose and this is a priority area under the Market Integration Pillar of the newly launched Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA).”
The trade portal comprises of two interlinked platforms; a front-end login portal where RALIS stakeholders will access services ranging from information on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, international and Rwanda trade regulations, and features to access and request for services. The second platform is a Management Information System to be used by RALIS management and staff to process requests for services. The Management Information System has been integrated to the Rwanda Electronic Single Window, enabling information sharing between Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) and the Ministry of Agriculture. It will also be integrated with financial systems such as the national payment gateway and banking systems, further reducing transaction and administrative costs. The linkages within the system will enhance inter-government agency coordination with the aim of improving service delivery and good governance in Rwanda.
The portal targets importers and exporters of plant, plant materials, animal and animal products, and agrichemicals into and out of Rwanda. Being a web based portal, traders will be able to make applications as well as receive import and export permits from the comfort of their offices, without making physical trips to the ministry. This is aligned to the Rwanda Government vision of making Rwanda a paperless economy through automating all government services to the public and the private sector.
The new online portal will reduce the transaction and administrative time and costs associated with issuance of permits and certificates by up to 45%; the current direct transaction costs to apply for a permit or certificate is US$ 5.67, this is expected to drop to less than US $3.00 per transaction. Already, 150 companies and 50 individuals have registered with the system following its piloting that started 3 months ago during this period a total number of 120 import permits and 207 phytosanitary certificates were issued.
Other key benefits of the portal will include improved service delivery and better governance around the management of certificates and permits for the sector. Traders dealing in time sensitive exports such as horticulture will now enjoy shorter time to acquire prerequisite documents for exportation. In a world where document forgery has become common, the portal will enable secured and transparent management of documents making it possible for destination market authorities to trust trade documents from Rwanda – and this will enable Rwandan exports to undergo less document scrutiny in the export markets.
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.
