Webb Fontaine (www.WebbFontaine.com), a leading provider of solutions for Trade facilitation powered by artificial intelligence and the latest generation of advanced IT systems, has been chosen to spearhead the ongoing evolution and development of Niger’s Trade and Customs environment.

As part of a 10-year contract awarded by the Government of Niger, Webb Fontaine will play a key role in the implementation and long-term management of the new Niger National Single Window project (NNSW), including the roll out of a state-of-the-art Port Community System created specifically for the landlocked West African nation.

Central to Niger’s plans to expand and significantly advance its Trade and Customs sector, the NNSW has been developed by Webb Fontaine as an integrated and collaborative platform that engages with the full spectrum of Trade, transport and logistics operations, including banks and Other Government Agencies (OGAs). As a case in point, Webb Fontaine will digitize the approval of licenses and permits for imported/exported regulated products and will install a complete electronic payment platform for trade documents.  

The NNSW will optimise the processing of import, transit and export information, reduce time delays as well as costs and increase certainty and predictability of operations for Niger’s Trade community. The NNSW will be a major component in the digitisation of the country’s Trade and Customs administration and will help to lay the foundations for greatly improved capacities of agents and entities operating within the sector as it increases in size, scope and importance. 

Webb Fontaine will introduce and implement a turn-key solution that includes all hardware, software, services and support required to meet the business requirements as defined under its contract with the government of Niger. The company’s international team of Trade and Customs experts will be deployed on the ground to install all the necessary infrastructure and systems as well as actively train the current local workforce and newly recruited staff brought in to support the progress of the project.

The NNSW portal will provide both international operators and entities based within Niger’s Trade community with an optimised, efficient, secure and paperless environment for the seamless and rapid processing of Trade and Customs regulations and procedures.

Kader Amadou, General Director of Financial Operations and Reforms, Ministry of Finance stated: “The Highest Authorities in Niger have placed the National Single Window among the flagship reforms. The Ministry of Finance urges all economic operators and public entities to support the Chamber of Commerce and Webb Fontaine in making the Niger National Single Window initiative one of the region’s most successful and innovative foreign Trade projects.”

Alioune Ciss, Webb Fontaine’s CEO, said: “The agreement between Webb Fontaine and the Government of Niger is a huge step towards the full digitisation of the country’s Trade and Customs environment. The NNSW and the fully connected and integrated Port Community System will effectively introduce new efficiencies across the entire Trade landscape. We are honoured to be chosen as the key technology partner for this exciting project and look forward to being a big player in the successful growth of Niger’s Trade and Customs sector for many years to come.”

Ousmane Mahamane, General Secretary, The Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Niger said: “The collaborative partnership that has been recently signed with Webb Fontaine represents an ambitious, progressive and fundamental step forward for the Government of Niger and the country’s entire Trade and Customs industry. The benefits that are expected from the implementation of this project are numerous for both the public and private sectors, with many of the key actors involved in the import-export chain expected to reap the rewards on a national and international level.”