the borderless pass: implementing expedited lanes in west africa

The Borderless PASS Implementing expedited lanes in West Africa

The West African situation :

• According to recent studies: West African corridors are still the most expensive and the most difficult to use for producers, traders, transporters, drivers, buyers, and investors.

• Several advocacy initiatives in place toward decision makers to change policies and develop economies

• Situation is moving… but slowly and highly depends on the country

The Road Governance Initiative

• Regional regulations not/poorly enforced • Numerous checkpoints and uniformed services intervention • Lack of uniformity / consistency in operations among various

agencies and among countries • Changes made to fees and procedures without any prior

notice or publicity • Manual operation of the clearing process encourages the

demand for bribes

Results: Unreliable lead-time due to unpredictable delays at check points and border crossings

Major Obstacles

What is the B-pass?

The Borderless pass (B-pass) is a certification of: • Road worthiness of trucks • Import- export permits • Drivers’ documentation • Cargo documentation

What will the B-pass offer ?

• Expedited border crossing

• Reduced stops, harassment and bribes at checkpoints

• Revenue for the national chapters

A mechanism that grants positive discrimination for compliant operators is not a new innovation in West Africa….. With the support of the World Bank, steps are being taken to implement the AEO approach, as developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO), on the Abidjan-Lagos corridor. The Borderless Alliance Pass would be a customized version focusing on clearance of transit cargo.

• Ministries of Trade, Ministries of Transport • Chambers of commerce • Uniformed services (Police, Gendarmerie, Customs,

Immigration, Water and Forestry, Army, etc.) • Representatives of Transporters/ Drivers • Road safety agencies • Borderless Alliance national chapters • National ETLS implementation agencies • ECOWAS/ UEMOA

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

B-pass issuing units BORDERLESS national chapters/issuing units will assess and deliver the B-pass to compliant members at a fee, renewable periodically BORDERLESS members will be responsible for the compliance to B-pass standards

• Formulate mechanism and implementation plan for the B-pass

- Design the mechanism of the seal - Consult with relevant stakeholders :

(implementing agencies, etc.) to establish requirements, standards, other AEO operators, etc.

- Validation workshop to discuss design and sensitize stakeholders

• Identify strategic partners, implementing agencies and services

• Establish MOUs with various national regulating agencies

The way forward for BORDERLESS

• Preparation for the launch of the seal - Training of BA officials, government agencies, concerned authorities, etc. - Establish necessary infrastructure , equipment - Identify pilot corridors/members

• Launch and implementation of the pilot - Raising awareness through sensitization programs - Production and dissemination of publicity

materials, etc.

The way forward for BORDERLESS (cnt’d)

For information on Borderless Alliance please visit: www.borderlesswa.com