Cairo – The Jordan Customs Authority has adopted the electronic integration in its trade with Brazil through the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), thus making its country the first in the Arab world to use the technology. In addition to training the Jordanians, the ABCC had meetings on this topic with Egyptians last month and is working to take electronic customs clearance to the Brazilian trade with all Arab countries.
This integration aims at facilitating the flow of goods between Brazil and the Arab countries. The system takes the export and import process to the electronic world, thus allowing the documentation to be digitally issued and verified, with no paper needed. In addition to reduce time, the technology allows to cut costs of this international trade, thus benefiting both sides.
ABCC secretary-general & CEO Tamer Mansour (pictured) said Jordan is the first Arab country to implement the system launched by the institution. In August 2021, a cooperation agreement was signed with the Jordan Customs for the implementation. Mansour added that a workshop on the system operation was given to the Jordan Customs.
Mansour stressed that the electronic customs clearance between the two countries contributes to cut customs clearance times compared to the use of paper documents. He says that the reduced costs also contribute to reducing the final price of the product for consumers. Mansour praised the huge breakthrough that the Jordan Customs has reached, which is expected to boost the trade between the two countries, he said.
Intensive meetings
Mansour said that the ABCC seeks to extend the experience of digital connectivity that has been adopted by Jordan to all Arab countries, particularly Egypt. Egypt is the only Arab country that has a free trade agreement with Brazil through Mercosur, which is a large opportunity for doubling the volume of trade between the two countries.
He explained that last month saw intensive meetings between the ABCC and the Egyptian Customs Authority, when major steps were given to reach a digital connection agreement between Egypt and Brazil, which would contribute to facilitate intraregional trade. The transparency of issuing authorities would ensure the authenticity of these documents, thus eliminating all forms of manipulation of paper documents.
The ABCC’s secretary-general added that there are advanced talks with several other Arab countries, particularly Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, to adopt the electronic integration trade system. The customs clearance is carried out through the Easy Trade system, which is part of the ABCC’s Ellos blockchain platform.
Translated by Georgette Merkhan & Guilherme Miranda
