There seems to be a
move in the direction
of web-based software
from Africa’s revenue
authorities and this can
streamline the declaration
process, says Easyclear managing
director, Michael Henning.
He told FTW that the move
to ASYWORLD, a web-based
version of the existing ASYCUDA
+ software, boded well for trade
facilitation into Africa as many
of the previous technical issues
appeared to have been addressed
in the newer
versions.
“The newer
versions also
integrate with
third-party
software like
Easyclear and
we are looking
to capitalise
on the
introduction of
ASYWORLD
within the
BNLS (Botswana, Namibia,
Lesotho and Swaziland), with
longer-term plans for countries
further afield,” said Henning.
Benefits of the new system
include a seamless exchange
of information and faster
turnaround times, with a full
audit trail of paperwork and
better visibility from a tracking
perspective across the supply
chain, he noted.
Henning said that the biggest
challenge to doing business in
Africa, from a software provider
perspective,
was finding the
right people
to talk to
within revenue
authorities
with regard to
any systems
integration.
“Some are
noticeably
better than
others but
as a whole it
has been challenging when it
comes to the technical aspects of
developing software integration
to be able to communicate
electronically, as we currently do
with the South African Revenue
Service via EDI,” he said.
As Africa grows increasingly
important as a global market
it has become more and more
part of Easyclear’s strategy
to diversify and grow revenue
with products that can
add value for their clients,
including integration within
the supply chain and adding
brokerage modules where
possible, noted Henning.
He said that while interest
was growing
internationally, intra-
African trade was also
increasing. “I believe
that the economic growth in
Africa will push development
through naturally.
Though, of course,
much can be done
to facilitate the
growth
by optimising the supply chain.
And information technology has
a crucial role to play in this,” said
Henning.
INSERT & CAPTION
The biggest challenge to
doing business in Africa is
finding the right people
to talk to within revenue
authorities.
– Michael Henning
