Chief Executive Officer of West Blue Consulting; the company that built Nigeria’s Single Window platform, Valentina Mintah has disclosed that despite the challenges that the firm faced in Nigeria, its innovative Single Window project has earned Nigeria a pride of place at the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
Mintah, disclosed this in Accra, Ghana at a chat with some maritime journalists during the recent maiden edition of the African Maritime Journalists Conference.
Recalling her experience in Nigeria, she noted that, even though her firm recorded huge success with Single Window project, it faced serious challenges from the political class. “The lack of political will from the top tend to breed undesirable elements who opposed the single window concept. At a point, there was some sabotage. It was either people did not understand the concept or deliberately kicked against it. At the institutional level, it was well accepted, we did not have the political will from the top”, she stated.
“But after the project, Nigeria became a point of reference at the World Customs Organisation (WCO). The WCO asked other Customs administration to emulate Nigeria, she recalled.
She however pointed out that, after the firm had put the software and all the essentials in place, the result of Single Window became manifest.
She stressed that the firms foray into Nigeria, is a huge success as: “Government saved US$25million a month from fees that were hitherto being paid to the Destination Inspection (DI) companies who were handling the Risk Assessment Report for Customs”.
Feeling fulfilled, she said, “so despite those challenges, these were significant results that trailed the single window project. In two years, revenue collection went up by 20 percent”.
West Blue Consulting has also been engaged to handle the Single Widow project in Ghana, and she said that there is no prototype for the project that must fit into all the countries. According to her, each country has peculiar challenges.
Mintah said, while in Nigeria she had no problems with the Customs and its operational apparatuses, and that the cooperation from Customs was the high point for the firm.
She however lamented that the reverse was the case in Ghana, where there was an attack on her person, even as a Ghanaian.
Recalling what she and the firm went through before it could be awarded the contract, she said, “In Ghana, it was a personal attack on my person. At a point, those kicking against it in Nigeria joined those kicking against it in Ghana. For me being an African, it was such a painful experience. However, we soldiered on, because we knew the result will speak for us”.
She explained that Single Window was designed to reduce the time and cost of doing business in Nigeria.
“The whole essence of the National Single Window is to reduce the time and cost of doing business across borders. Importers and exporters are the main drivers to economic growth.
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