aurora
Enacy Mapakame
Finance and Economic Development Minister, Mthuli Ncube, has commended customs for embracing of digitalisation to facilitate smooth flow of trade locally and between countries that rely on Zimbabwe as a major transit hub for exports and imports.
Importers, exporters, transporters, clearing agents and the general public are beginning to see significant transformation from the complex and cumbersome manual processes to simplified digital solutions. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic compelled businesses across the globe to scale up digitalisation, and customs departments have not been left behind in this evolution, to limit the spread of the pandemic as well as enhance convenience and efficiency especially at ports of entry.
“As we celebrate this event in 2022, allow me to take time to reflect on how customs has fared in the management of our ports of entry and all other inland offices to provide the service that continues to oil the wheels of our economy and the economies within the region who rely on us as a major transit hub,” said Mthuli in a presentation made on his behalf by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) vice chairperson Josephine Matambo at the International Customs Day commemorations held yesterday in Bulawayo.
The celebrations were held under the theme “Scaling up customs digital transformation by embracing a data culture and building a data ecosystem.”
Mthuli said the robust digital transformations with various platforms availed have become effective tools for trade facilitation, helping economies grow locally and across the region. He added this fostered regional integration and showed Zimbabwe’s committed efforts to Africa’s Regional Economic Integration Agenda.
“This transformation is in line with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) theme for 2022 which focuses on embracing a data culture and building a data ecosystem.
“The relationship between trade and economic growth and development remains critical focus pillar for effective trade facilitation, enabled by effective implementation processes by customs and its allied sectors through the use of modern techniques.
“As we proceed along this momentous trip, I would like to encourage ZIMRA to continue its stewardship role and technological innovation drive towards digital transformation,” he said.
ZIMRA acting commissioner general, Rameck Masaire, said the authority has continued to increase its automation footprint not only from a strategic planning perspective geared towards modernisation, but also as a direct response to Covid-19 threats.
Various information and communication technology (ICT) products and systems were put in place to enable these interventions, and these include among others, cargo and baggage scanners as well as sniffer dogs at ports of entry, electronic cargo tracking systems for transit management, increased online usage covering declaration processing, application for tax clearance certificates, application for registration for various customs products, dispute resolution and information dissemination to internal as well as use of drones for effective border control to curb smuggling through unauthorised crossing points along the porous borders.
“These initiatives continue to contribute immensely to smooth and seamless trade and travel as well as effective revenue administration,” said Masaire.
“Regarding payments, ZIMRA has embraced online banking facilities to receipt payments from importers and other stakeholders, riding on the seamless integration of payment platforms enabled through the interoperability of the various electronic payment modes introduced by the banking sector, internet services providers and mobile telephone service providers,” he said.
Bongani Ndlovu