Enhancing Public Availability of Customs Information
In the Islamic Countries
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During the initial implementation phase, officials gathered information from various Agencies.
The Steering Committee is yet to agree on the fundamental principles for supplying information
to the Lead Agency. A work program is to be prepared to ensure, that going forward, there is
adequate and timely information flow. The state is evaluating a communication plan and a
change management program that will help build stakeholder confidence and in turn help
overcome bureaucratic or cultural resistance. Indeed, some laws that will force a change in
resistant civil servants have the potential to be highjacked and used to resist the flow of
information between agencies. These laws may relate to operational information of a sensitive
nature while the Trade Information Portal would only deal with information which should be
available in the public domain. Most of these laws and regulations were enacted in an era of
paper-based cross-border transactions. Failing to clarify such intricacies could potentially result
in agencies or civil servants mobilizing these laws to resist the supply of information to the TIP.
Going forward there is a need to undertake a conformity assessment of these laws and
regulations to ensure reforms align with international standards (as was done for E-commerce
regulations). Such an approach will provide the foundation for the legal and regulatory basis of
a genuinely paperless trade system.
Several stakeholders suggested the current structure with the ministry of trade chairing the
steering committee may not be conducive to the efficacy and collaboration of other agencies. An
emerging alternative option is to have the Ministry of Trade jointly with customs continue to be
responsible for operational and technical issues related to the flow of information. Under such
a strategy a committee chaired by an authority above the parties involved, e.g. the Presidency
or the Prime Minister would manage policy and strategic issues. Under such a structure, it will
become possible for each ministry and agency to communicate promptly problems that require
policy or managerial decisions on information published and disseminated. In particular, each
agency will have to submit content before publishing to the committee that will deliberate and
provide comments. Such a strategy would, in turn, ensure the data made available to traders is
accurate. Stakeholders also recommended that the TIP contain a comments/suggestions
window where users can report inaccuracies or omissions in the information published. This
comment/suggestions window would also help obtain timely reporting of difficulty in using the
TIP.
Going forward, stakeholders also suggested that policy-makers adjust the elements of the TIP
steering committee such as the Committee's leadership. Participating actors recommended that
the Ministry of Trade and Senegal customs host the Committee at the technical level and the
Presidency at the policy and strategic level. Such an approach would facilitate coordination
between and among the respective ministries and departments as well as spearhead change
management from paper-based to paperless transactions.
Consultative Process
The Senegalese state has put in place a trade facilitation sub-committee, hosted in the ministry
of trade especially in the Directorate of External Trade, which strives to ensure a consultative
process. A representative of Senegal customs, and particularly the Director in charge of trade
facilitation, chairs the sub-committee. Membership of the sub-committee includes
representatives from relevant stakeholders, including GAINDE 2000. The State also has in place
a parallel process in the communication and outreach program of the Customs administration.