Burkina/ Imports and exports: The "Sylvie 2" platform is now operational

The Directorate General of Customs (DGD) and the Société de gestion de la plateforme Sylvie (SOGESY) have officially launched the new version of the Virtual Liaison System for import and export operations (Sylvie). Called Sylvie 2, this platform offers innovative services. The launch ceremony took place this Monday, February 17, 2025, in Ouagadougou.

In the process of dematerializing Burkinabe customs services, the more the years go by, the more innovations are integrated. To put this into context, in 2019, three years after Sylvie went live (in 2016), it was essential to upgrade it. Stakeholders noted that the platform had limitations. These included: partially dematerialized procedures; the coexistence of dematerialized acts and paper-based acts; the non-integration of certain essential administrations on Sylvie 1the absence of electronic signature, electronic payment and statistics; document processing times of 72 hours; the limitations of development technology.

To upgrade the Sylvie platform, the Burkinabe government received a grant from the World Bank through technical assistance from the West African Trade Facilitation Program (FEAO). To carry out the Sylvie upgrade, a technical service provider, YULCOM Technologies, was recruited to support the customs authorities, the Burkina Faso Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI-BF) and SOGESY.

The work involved reworking the dematerialization of thirteen procedures produced by the administrations on the current version of the platform. These procedures have been taken over in their entirety, with the addition of electronic payment, digitized document signature, the statistics module and improved interfacing with ASYCUDA (Automated Customs System).

Sylvie 2 will: reduce document collection times from 72 hours to 3 hours. It will also initiate the creation of a single foreign trade window for Burkina Faso around Sylvie. In addition, to reduce document collection costs. Finally, to facilitate customs clearance operations and reduce the time goods spend in customs.

"Sylvie is an electronic one-stop shop that facilitates customs clearance operations. It also enables economic operators to collect certain documents from technical administrations and certain private structures involved in international trade. With this version, Sylvie is maturing further, because we have a tool for measuring the maturity of single windows. This means we can periodically check that your single window is evolving.
Generally speaking, Sylvie improves the business climate by simplifying procedures, increasing transparency and securing customs revenues. Dematerialization makes it possible to avoid certain fraudulent maneuvers involving human intervention, which can lead to loss of rights, and to certain dangerous and dangerous products not being traced. trace certain dangerous and illicit products entering our territory", argued Customs Director General, Divisional Customs Inspector Adama Ilboudo.

A "secure" platform

According to SOGESY General Manager Daouda Garané, Sylvie 2 is a secure platform.
"So far, the technique we've used is viable. We will continue to reinforce this security. In the next few days, we're going to open Sylvie 2 on the internet. Since the platform was launched in 2016, the average daily rate has been around 200 transactions. There are months when we reach 25,000 transactions processed by the platform," he said.

Present at the launch ceremony, CCI-BF General Manager Seydou Tou stressed the importance of supporting good initiatives that promote innovation and facilitate the activities of economic operators. This is why the CCI-BF has invested in this project, which will contribute to creating greater fluidity in the activities of importers and exporters, he justified.

Source: lefaso.net/