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NAIROBI. – Delegates from more than 18 African countries are due to meet in Nairobi from Monday to review Africa’s progress on implementation of Single Window System, an online cargo clearing system, organisers said yesterday. The Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade), which is implementing an online cargo clearance system in the country, said the 14th Executive Committee and 8th General Assembly meeting of the African Alliance for E-Commerce (AAEC) will be held in Nairobi from March 13 to 15.

KenTrade’s CEO Amos Wangora said the decision by the continental organisation to hold the AAEC meetings in Nairobi for the first time was a big honour not only to Kenya but to the East African Community region as a whole, noting that other EAC member states had also been invited to attend.

“Successful implementation of the Single Window System in Kenya has positioned Kenya as a strong logistics platform in the East Africa region in addition to providing opportunity for sharing best practices on implementation of Single Window System among peers,” Wangora said.

Kenya TradeNet or single window system is a web based portal and is accessible 24/7 nationwide to stakeholders in trade logistics industry and will facilitate the flow of goods in and out of Kenya’s borders.

The initiative is also expected to facilitate international and domestic trade at the port of Mombasa, and has been touted as the solution to the persistent delays at the port.

It reduces the time it takes to process goods through customs at the port by half, from seven days to three days.

The AAEC is a grouping of countries implementing the Electronic Single Window System in Africa. Currently, the AAEC has 18 member countries and seeks to promote the Single Window (SW) concept, in compliance with recommendations of international institutions.

The continental body’s current membership is drawn from West, North, Central, East and Southern Africa. – Xinhua.