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SOGET is a software publisher dedicated to facilitating and securing international trade. It is notably the publisher of S)ONE, the fourth-generation Port Community System. The company has been operating a POS (Port Operating System) in Côte d’Ivoire since 2013. One of the major challenges was to enable the Port Autonome d’Abidjan to offer better service during ship calls. This POS connects all the operators involved in ship calls, and has increased the PAA’s competitiveness by automating and streamlining port procedures, among other things.
Bureau Veritas, a world leader in trade facilitation services and secure inspection programs, is present in 140 countries. In Côte d’Ivoire, Bureau Veritas has been appointed by the Ministry of Trade, Crafts and SME Promotion to implement the Verification of Conformity program.
Together, SOGET and Bureau Veritas are combining their know-how and experience to offer services that are fully in line with governments’ strategic objectives, as is the case in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo, Gabon, Mauritius, Mauritania and Jamaica.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, these two recognized specialists have created the largest foreign trade platform to date, based on the latest generation of PCS, S)ONE, and covering ports, airports and border crossings.
In each of their projects, SOGET and Bureau Veritas are committed to the transfer of technology by training men and women to use the tools. Over 8,000 people have been trained since the platform was set up, and there are now 100 employees working in 17 provincial centers and liaison offices. Last year, more than 310,000 files were processed.
Yann Leroux, Managing Director of SEGUCE RDC testifies in the White Paper “Digital at the service of African foreign trade“:
“The advantage of our partnership is that we can combine Bureau Veritas’ project management expertise with SOGET’s more technical and IT expertise in single windows. This enables us to keep abreast of developments and, above all, to adapt to offer a quality service.”
In France, the S)ONE PCS is deployed and 100% operational in the 3 ports of the Seine Axis, and manages the entire corridor, from Le Havre to Paris, via Rouen. In Jamaica, S)ONE covers all ports and airports, and is hosted on Microsoft’s Azure Cloud.
In 2021, the Port of Abidjan, essential to Côte d’Ivoire’s economy, handled 76% of the country’s foreign trade, with a traffic volume of 30 million tonnes. Growing at an average annual rate of 12% since 2012, mainly thanks to agricultural products, the port also facilitates the transit of goods to landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The container terminal, due to open in 2022, will double the Port of Abidjan’s annual capacity, consolidating its position as a true regional hub. In addition to physical structures, digital solutions are essential for successful transformation and increased competitiveness, while taking into account the human aspects essential to the success of such projects.