IT - An Enabler for African Airports

DAR ES SALAAAM, Tanzania - June 14, 2013 - PRLog -- IT - An Enabler for African Airports

The volume of air trade originating in or destined to Africa is estimated at around 2 million tonnes, while the domestic market is around 200,000 tonnes. With the volume of cargo projected to rise at 5.2% per annum over the next five years - ground handling, cargo management and terminal operations at Airports are going to come under increasing pressure. Airport management is crucial for the economic well-being of the continent. So the questions arise, how are African airports equipped to handle the increase in cargo volume? How effective are the existing IT systems and processes?

IT Adoption at African Airports - The Current Predicament

The existing IT systems are already stretched and working beyond capacity. The lack of infrastructure in African airports is also well documented. In many African airports, the processes followed are at best semi-automated, leading to increased processing time and long queues at airports. These processes also lead to more paper work, redundancies, and lack of co-ordination among key stakeholders.

The Ideal Solution

It is time for Africa's airports to adopt more sophisticated IT systems, built around industry best practices and standardised processes. An ideal solution will ensure total automation of all the processes, driving down costs and increasing efficiency. The solution should be centrally deployed and have a web interface and be open to integration with 3rd party ERP systems.

Most importantly, it should allow for seamless communication among value chain participants such as forwarders, customs, customs handling agents, airlines, and ground handlers in real-time to enable critical decision making. The solution should also offer end-to-end visibility right across the supply chain.

A Proven Ground Handling System for African Airports

Techno Brain Group, a leading IT solution provider in Africa is offering a line of products for African airports to better manage ground handling, cargo management and terminal operations.

GALAXYTM is an Airport Cargo Management Solution that caters to the Ground Handling and Terminal Operations requirements of a modern Airport. GALAXYTM comes in two modules- GALAXYTM – CUSTODIAN and GALAXYTM – GHA. GALAXYTM – CUSTODIAN caters to the needs of the custodian or the cargo terminal operator, performing functions such as basic import and export handling, customs clearance, disposal management, maintenance of pre-deposit accounts, and reporting, while GALAXYTM – GHA is a ground handling module for airports handling cargo as well as for independent ground handlers to facilitate smooth flow of cargo information throughout the value chain. The GALAXYTM line brings in greater visibility and transparency in both custodian and cargo handling process through track and trace and real time status updates.

Future IT Trends in African Aviation

African airports have great expansion plans for the future to fulfil increasing demands. It is imperative that Airports are equipped with cutting-edge IT systems to match the infrastructure. The IT systems of the future will be more central with focus on integration, enabling easy access and exchange of information between value chain participants, across different African countries. Full automation of various processes will ensure cost-cutting and increased operational efficiency. The future may also see African nations collaborating on standardizing regulations akin to the European Union (EU), which will make newer technologies easier and faster to adopt. If Africa invests its immediate future on maximising the application of IT in aviation, the returns will be there for all to see.

About Techno Brain

Techno Brain, an ISO 9001:2008 certified and a CMMI Level 3 company, established in 1997 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is a leading software development company with operations in Africa, Asia, USA, UAE and UK. Techno Brain is committed to deliver high quality, cost effective, off-the-shelf IT Solutions, IT Training, and BPO/ITES Services to Governments, NGOs, and Private Organizations across the globe. Techno Brain offers IT Solutions and Products in Identity Management, Enterprise Business, IT Consulting, IT Infrastructure, Managed Services and BI / DWH Practice Areas. Techno Brain’s major IT Products are InspireHRM, a Certified for Microsoft Dynamics (CfMD) Human Resources & Payroll Management System; MEsure, Project Monitoring & Evaluation System, a CfMD product; SecuRegister, a Multi-modal Biometric System; AIRevenue, an Airport Revenue Management System; IFMS, an Integrated Financial Management System, SecuRelief, Disaster Relief Management System; mIVR, an Interactive Voice Response based Maternal Healthcare System; SecurBanking, a Biometric Authentication System for Core Banking and mSecured, Child Helpline Case Management System. Techno Brain’s BPO/ITES Division offers Voice, Data, Knowledge Process Management and IT Enabled Services tailored to the global outsourcing industry. Techno Brain’s Training Division has over a decade’s experience in imparting quality IT Training in Africa on various Career Courses, Certification Programs, Corporate Training, University Programs, Testing Services and Content Management. Partnered with New Horizons, world’s Largest IT Training Company, Techno Brain helps in developing skilled IT manpower in Africa.

For more information, visit: www.technobraingroup.com