ACCRA — Imagine buying a standard sewing machine from a supplier abroad, paying your shipping fees, and arriving at the Tema Port only to find that the clearing cost changes depending on the mood of a computer server. Today it is low; tomorrow it is high. This unpredictable guessing game is the exact reality hitting thousands of Ghanaian importers following the introduction of the Publican AI system by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
While the current Mahama administration has focused heavily on sweeping, automated tax collections, veterans within the trade sector are urging extreme caution. The loudest and most credible voice of caution comes from a corporate titan who knows the internal plumbing of Ghana’s maritime trade better than anyone else: Mr. Kwesi Baffour Sarpong, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority.
Speaking live on UTV’s Mpu Ne Mpu program, Mr. Sarpong did not mince words about the chaotic operational realities at our entry points. His position is backed by an unassailable track record of protecting local businesses. It was under his visionary leadership that the historic Ghana Shippers’ Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122) was passed, establishing an unprecedented statutory shield for local traders. True to his core philosophy of ensuring zero inhibition to trade, Mr. Sarpong famously ordered that no importer should pay demurrage if the clearance delay was not their fault or if it fell on a public holiday.
When a trade expert with this level of practical experience speaks, the nation listens. And his verdict on the new AI rollout is clear: the GRA needs to pull the brakes and head straight back to the drawing board.
“There are already far too many issues at the port,” Mr. Sarpong stated during the broadcast, pointing directly to the agonizingly long hours importers spend just to clear basic goods. “The biggest headache is our valuation system. In progressive trading nations, authorities purposely simplify the valuation process to allow for fast, transparent, and fair clearing of cargo. In our current local setup, the figures are swinging too wildly from one extreme to another.”
The tragedy of this policy rush is that Ghana does not need to gamble with unverified foreign algorithms to achieve fair valuation. The nation already possesses a world-class, battle-tested technological asset: the Integrated Customs Management System, popularly known as ICUMS.
Before introducing a disruptive layer of artificial intelligence, the logical step would have been to harvest the mountain of transactional data already compiled securely inside ICUMS. This local data holds years of accurate, real-world trade histories for various commodities.
Mr. Sarpong argued that the GRA should have used this rich ICUMS data to run its initial valuation analysis. Armed with these scientific facts, the state could have invited shipping lines, freight forwarders, and trade associations to a round-table discussion. This collaborative approach would have secured the vital institutional buy-in needed for a smooth transition, rather than forcing a heavy-handed system onto a stressed market.
True economic leadership requires matching technological innovation with commercial reality. The GRA must listen to the expert counsel of veterans like Mr. Kwesi Baffour Sarpong. The state must urgently recalibrate its approach, shifting from sudden enforcement to a systematic, data-led strategy that keeps our trading gateways open, fair, and efficient.
