Inetum helps TCN meet the challenge of tax compliance

Due to a lack of a suitable solution, TCN had to bring its Nouakchott port terminal management system into compliance with Mauritanian tax legislation. Thanks to INETUM’s SAP expertise, TCN was able to carry out a data migration in record time and improve its accounting.

TCN (Terminal à Conteneurs de Nouakchott), a company equally owned by Africa Finance Corporation and the Meridiam group, is a major player in the port of Nouakchott in Mauritania. It specializes in the management of container ships and hydrocarbon vessels. Since the inauguration of a new terminal on April 1, 2022, TCN handles a traffic of 110,000 TEU (20-foot containers) per year out of the 250,000 that the structure can accommodate. This capacity allows TCN to occupy 52% of the activity of the Mauritanian port to date.

A management system to be brought into compliance
Few times after the start of its activity, TCN had to face a major challenge: bringing its administrative management system into compliance with Mauritanian tax legislation. Provided by its shareholder, the internal SAP solution proved inadequate. “The solution was intended to do reporting accounting rather than accounting in accordance with tax rules. The bases that were in the system were completely uncorrelated and this generated excessive costs for the terminal,” explains Demba Sarr, Administrative and Financial Director of TCN. The adopted financial module was indeed based on Indian accounting regulations, where it had been developed, unsuitable for the Mauritanian tax system and financially penalizing for TCN.

Faced with this observation, Demba Sarr set out in search of a solution that meets TCN’s needs while maintaining the SAP environment to take advantage of the good knowledge of the tool by his teams. The choice fell on the SAP S4 Public Cloud Edition for the advantages that the cloud model provides in terms of technological maintenance and data security.

TCN won over by Inetum’s SAP expertise
Once the criteria were defined, the manager of the Nouakchott port terminal launched a call for tenders that Inetum won. Demba Sarr justifies his selection by the SAP expertise of the ESN’s teams, its references, and a service cost lower than that of the other bidders in the call for tenders.

The service required the recovery of historical data and their integration into the current database in order to build the new information system. The SAP environment also had to interface with TOS (Terminal Operating System), TCN’s internal system that manages the operations of the port terminal for supply and the accounting, finance, and equipment maintenance parts.

A record GO Live
The data migration project took place from September to December 2023 for a production start at the beginning of 2024. “We were able to do a record GO Live, which is exceptional for this type of migration,” rejoices the project manager. This successful operation allowed TCN to comply with local tax regulations. “We were able to reconstitute the accounting, have a solid, clear and reliable base for declaration and commitment towards partners. Today the accounting is readable and allows for better decision making. TCN’s accounting teams have indeed received congratulations from the auditor,” says Demba Sarr.

The administrative and financial manager of TCN highlights the quality of this first experience with Inetum. He particularly emphasizes the competence and support of the ESN’s team for its assistance in the migration of the IT solution but also the relationship established with TCN’s local teams. “This is something very important,” he stresses.

The collaboration between the two organizations continues today through an Application Maintenance Contract and with the study of a new project around the deployment of SAP Analytics. This experience demonstrates Inetum’s ability to support its partners in their digital transformation by adapting to their specificities.