Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has praised the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA World) for streamlining goods clearance and trade certification at Bakili Muluzi International Airport in Blantyre and other ports of entry.
ASYCUDA is a digitally automated system used to clear goods and provide certification upon arrival at the port of entry, including airports, replacing manual paper processing.
MRA Station Manager for customs at Bakili Muluzi Airport, Pauline Changonapanja, says the system has significantly reduced clearance time and allows partner agencies, such as the Malawi Bureau of Standards, to coordinate inspections and certification of goods efficiently.
Changonapanja says the digital process can process goods within a day, thereby reducing the time clients wait at the port of entry for their goods to be cleared.
According to her, in the past, manual processing took more than seven days.
The automated system was first used by MRA to clear goods imported into the country and the Malawi Bureau of Standards adopted it in 2019.
The World Bank supported the deployment and upgrading of the ASYCUDA World software developed by UNCTAD under the Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project to streamline customs processing and reduce trade costs.
