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 on a regular basis.
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 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 a 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 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 a two-way structured communication between shippers, service providers and policy makers 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 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 oversea sources to the place of destination and vice-versa,” said John Omondi, a Mombasa based importer.
Five years ago ISCOS developed, a mobile-phone 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 delivery of service, and enabled ISCOS to monitor 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 a real-time monitoring system that captures the actual experiences and feedback about service providers from users of Mombasa port and the Northern Corridor.
