BY Yankuba Manneh
Communications Officer, GPA
The management of the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) through its IT Department has developed a digital platform for the management of shore handling revenue collection for goods clearance at the Port of Banjul.
The deployment of the new system is aimed at eliminating human interference and input in the calculation of charges due for shore handling services. The new information system will ensure end-to-end transactions based on an IT platform starting from the online release of Delivery Orders (DOs) by Shipping Agencies to submission to the GPA electronically.
The newly built IT system will self-generate the charges due to be paid by consignees as well as the payments made by bank deposits through an onsite teller implanted by one of the local banks – Guaranty Trust Bank. Authorization and delivery of cargoes will also be done within the system.
Preceding the full deployment of the system, a two-week training of the users ranging from relevant GPA staff, shipping agencies, consignees, and clearing and forwarding agents is currently underway. Meanwhile, a stakeholder engagement on the business process improvements/changes will be held once the system goes live.
Ultimately, the system is expected to usher in improved accountability for the revenue due and liable to be paid to the Ports for shore handling services, remove potential errors resulting from human interference, and eliminate revenue leakage.
It will also serve as a prelude to the wider Port Digitalization Project, which is aimed at taking advantage of the developments in technology for improved port performance and efficient service delivery.