Ghana was among some 75 countries that participated in this year’s World Customs Organization (WCO) Information Technology (IT) conference and exhibition held in Lima, Peru.

The conference gave Ghana the opportunity to showcase to the world how the country was implementing its National Single Window at the ports.

The three-day event, which was attended by about 500 participants, began from June 6 to 8, 2018 and brought together customs officials of the world, including representatives of private sector and international organizations to find lasting solutions to problems using new technologies for the benefit of trade and international security.

Ghana’s presence at the international event afforded the participants from across the globe to the opportunity to get first-hand information about Single Window operation in Ghana.

The country was lauded for the successes it has chalked so far since the implementation of the national single window and also for the measures being put in place by government to make trade at the Ghana’s ports efficient and reliable.

The 17th edition of the WCO IT conference was on the theme, ‘Building a reliable digital landscape to boost cross-border trade.’

Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General, WCO, in his remarks, said information technology played a crucial role in guaranteeing a secured business environment.

He urged governments and their private sector to work together to build a reliable digital landscape to boost cross-border trade.

Data protection and cyber-security concerns were explored with a view to addressing some of the most recent discussions in these areas.

Another popular topic that was highlighted at the WCO IT conference was how to establish a single window supported by the WCO Data Model.

Victor Shiguiyama, National Superintendent of Customs and Tax Administration, SUNAT, Peru said customs administrations have the mandate to check whatever was entering and exiting their countries.

He also said public entities and foreign trade operators had the challenge of contributing to safe logistics chain that helped to identify in advance risks and threats that might threaten society’s security.

“To achieve these objectives, the use of new technologies and digital transformation represent an opportunity to radically improve the performance and scope of our organizations with a view to providing quality service oriented to foreign trade users and for the benefit of citizens.”