The wave of digital transformation is sweeping across Africa, and Benin stands out as a commendable example. The country has initiated the digitization of a pivotal sector within its economy.
On Tuesday, November 14, Benin’s National Land Transport Agency (ANaTT) officially launched the Electronic Road Freight Management System (SYGFR). Financed to the tune of 290 million CFA Franc (around $479,480) by the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel), the platform provides sectoral stakeholders with an interface for real-time monitoring of road transport activities, freight transport especially.
Once completed, SYGFR will include three modules: freight supply management, statistics and dashboard management, and transport supply management. For the time being, authorities have launched the transport supply management module, which will among other things, facilitate the construction and maintenance of a database of professional drivers, the issuing of transport authorizations and transport cards, and registration of other freight players such as customs brokers and freight lessors.
In addition to facilitating the issuance of transport authorization and cards, the transport supply management module is expected to ease the issuance of consignment notes for freights from the Autonomous Port of Cotonou and other cargo hubs across the country.
"Effective organization is a prerequisite for the development of any sector. This [platform] is a stride forward and we need to embrace a collaborative thinking approach to meet ongoing challenges,” said Jacques Ayadji, who was representing Jose Didier Tonato, the Minister for the Living Environment and Transport in Charge of Sustainable Development.
Under President Patrice Talon, Benin has initiated the digitization of its services to become a tech hub in the West African region. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the process, and since then, more than a thousand services have been digitized. According to the United Nations e-government development index for 2022, Benin ranks 149th out of 193 countries, with a score of 0.4264, a leap of 8 places from 2020.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
