The impact can be measured in various ways. To be meaningful, indicators must include time and cost savings and the proportion of the international trade stakeholders accruing benefits from those savings. For example, a 10% cost/time reduction for conducting an agricultural import may sound impressive. Still, a 4% cost/time reduction for a general, non-controlled import will benefit a much more significant proportion of the cross-border trading community.



From inception, a Single Window programme designed to provide benefits to the majority of traders, rather than just those with more complex regulatory procedural requirements, is likely to be on the right trajectory. The implementation programme should be considered a trade facilitation project at the outset rather than an IT project. Indeed, the IT platform aspects of Single Window implementation should not exceed 25% of the overall effort, which comprises – policy/process (procedures) / people/platform (4Ps). Many would argue that the IT elements are the easy bit and that ultimate success is contingent on the 4Ps being addressed in the order shown above. 

Historically, developing countries have the most significant take-up of Single Window systems. This is not surprising, as developing countries usually have the most to gain from trade facilitation tools, and donors often view Single Window as a potential ‘quick win’ in improving the business, enabling the environment of such countries, thus contributing to economic growth. Unfortunately, the outcome is often much less beneficial than anticipated, mainly if the implementation process is ‘platform’ or IT-led rather than being driven by sound policy, and process mapping, followed by overall business process re-engineering.

When a Single Window platform was introduced in a South East Asian nation some years ago, it was decided that there would be a ‘simple transfer’ of the extant paper-based import and export processes to the new electronic platform. Shortly after launch, a respected trade body in that country stated, “We have exactly the same burdensome processes as previously, and traders have the same problems and make the same mistakes – they just have them and make them quicker!”. Naturally, the policy must be right from the start, which always requires a high level of political will and buy-in, together with appropriate funding and availability of expertise.

The trigger for a Single Window project in one East African country was the President sitting with a group of importers and exporters to understand, in painful detail, what they had to do to get cargo out of, or into the country. It is reported that the President was visibly shocked by what he heard and saw; the eventual result was a Single Window environment that lived up to its name, reduced the time and cost of doing business, even for simple imports and exports, and supported the economic growth of that country. A neighbouring country tried to emulate the success, purchased an expensive IT platform, and then attempted to transfer the existing analogue system onto it – it was a complete failure!