CrimsonLogic: Applying the magic powder to trade

Unbelievable numbers

The numbers that Saw Ken Wye quotes in terms of annual transactions are so far outside the league of most African ports as to be almost unbelievable. But they explain why Singapore’s trade is three times the size of its GDP and why it is one of the world’s busiest and most efficient ports. One can only imagine what the economic gains would be for Africa if it could achieve even half the same efficiency as Singapore.

“But, of course, Africa can,” says Saw Ken Wye. All African countries have to do is to invite CrimsonLogic to take a look at their systems and sort them out, as many other countries around the world have done.

“We help governments design and run innovative and sustainable services to collaborate more seamlessly with their citizens and ecosystems,” says Saw Ken Wye. “With over two decades of experience in eGovernment, we have a deep understanding of the way agencies work, interact and deliver services. TradeNet^®, eJudiciary, eStamping and CertOfOrigin are some of our world-first innovations being used everyday by government agencies worldwide.”

These include a handful of African countries such as Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Mozambique. The company is involved in two projects in Ghana: the Ghana Integrated Customs Clearance System, which is a web-based facility to control customs excise and preventative services; and the Ghana Gateway Project, which is a single window trade facilitation and customs management system.

In Mauritius CrimsonLogic set up the National Identity scheme in 2012 and the Mauritius eJudiciary project. The first project replaces paper-based national identity cards with polycarbonate smart cards for all citizens. The cards can be used for a variety of online services. The eJudiciary project has replaced mountains of case files and is an integrated court management system that has increased transparency and cut through the earlier labyrinthine manual processes. 

“CrimsonLogic was entrusted to look into all the technical aspects of the eJudiciary system because of their experience and success in setting up the Electronic Filing System in Singapore. This eJudiciary system enables us to prove to investors that we are responsive to their needs by accelerating commercial claims,” said Y K J Yeung Sik Yuen, the Chief Justice of Maurititius.  

There are any number of African judicial systems that can happily do with this system and unclog the logjams that are currently standard. 

Mozambique applied CrimsonLogic’s TradeNet® in 2010 and now enjoys one of the most steamlined clearance systems in Southern Africa. Namibia has also taken advantage of the eJudiciary system to cut its court costs, prevent tampering with documents and improve transparency and efficiency. Rwanda has consulted the company on achieving an IT platform for its social security services and Kenya has launched a major single-window system (See box).

With most of Africa looking for ways and means to unclutter and speed up its trade processes, it would seem that CrimsonLogic is just what they would have wished for.