KEPSA, represented by the Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) Specialist Mr. Patrick Maingi, participated in the Mombasa Port & Northern Corridor Community Charter (MPNCC) ICT sub-committee retreat at Diani Reef Hotel from 6th to 8th April 2022. The main objective of the meeting was to review the bi-project implementation of the charter and address the ICT related bottlenecks with a view of full automation and addressing all customer needs in moving goods from the port to their destinations. This is part of KEPSA’s ongoing PPD work funded by TradeMark East Africa (TMEA).

Also present in the meeting was Mr. Gilbert Langat – CEO of Shippers Council of Eastern Africa (SCEA) and Chairman of the MPNCCC Steering Committee; Ms. Anne Waweru – Director, IT Innovations & Information Security, KenTrade and Chair of the ICT Sub-Committee; Mr. Simon Konzolo, Programmes Manager at TMEA among other representatives from Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (KIFWA), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Kenya Ship Agents Association (KSAA) and the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Agreement (NCTTA).

In his opening remarks, Mr. Langat said that the MPNCC is a multi-stakeholder coordination mechanism launched on 30th June 2014 to ensure a concerted approach toward transforming the Port of Mombasa and the Northern Corridor into an efficient, reliable and globally competitive trade and transport corridor. “In this Charter, the role of ICT is very paramount because it targets paperless transactions to reduce costs for customers and ensure efficiency.” He said.

On her part, Ms. Waweru noted that the committee was launched in 2019 with a key focus on ensuring the automation of processes and addressing customer needs in the transportation of cargo from the port to their destination. “And now with the entry of the Democratic Republic of Congo into the EAC, our scope is definitely expanded. Our aim is to make Kenya’s port the most competitive in Africa and the world.” She said.

While speaking during the forum, Mr. Maingi said, “Most of the challenges that we have in the implementation of the MPNCC are ICT related, and this inefficiency will affect everybody in our region. The Mombasa port is a gateway to the East Africa region and the interplay between the different agencies is key to the private sector.”

“Private sector is a key partner and we are the voice of engagement and advocacy for the different sectors and agencies represented to help in the achievement and full implementation of the charter.” He added.

During the retreat, participants also discussed the progress made in the implementation of the Charter and also shared some of the challenges encountered and possible solutions. The team also reviewed the MPNCC website and gave feedback on further improvement of the site to better offer services to the stakeholders. The website can be accessed via: https://mpnccc.net/

The meeting went further to review the 2022/2023 Workplan and the BI visualization prototypes.