Smart borders, according to Amílcar Mulungo, director of Customs for southern Mozambique, will provide greater fluidity of trade by reducing obstacles and creating more jobs.
“This new system foresees the recording of information such as the name, travel document, fingerprints, facial image, date and place of birth from travellers when entering, exiting or being refused entry into the the country”, Mulongo told APA on Monday.
Mulungo further explained that by adopting smart borders, industries will become more robust and more capable of developing, which will lead to higher revenue collection.
“Anyone who cares can predict what they are going to pay, what they can give as a document and avoid last-minute issues while the goods are already at the point of entry,” said Mulungo.
In fact, the initiative is in line with the motto chosen for this year: “Intelligent Borders for a Trade, Travel and Transportation without Interruptions.
According to Mulungo, the measure requires the intensive use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
Asked if Mozambique has the human resources to ensure the implementation of the initiative, Mulungo responded that the Customs officers trained during the introduction of the Single Electronic Window (JUE), a service that consists of providing assistance to users via telephone or e-mail.
“What we need at the moment is to improve these equipment, these technologies that are at our disposal,” he said adding that many operators have complained about several stops, which causes unnecessary congestion.
With the adoption of smart borders, the customs authorities will limit themselves to introducing the value and specifications of the merchandise on the platform.
“We introduced the value on the platform so there is not a last minute problem, an importer when importing should be sure that the value he declares will not be questioned,” he said.
Intelligent Borders, an initiative in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, aims at facilitating trade and travel, as well as mitigating the threats inherent in cross-border flows of goods, people and means of transport.