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Acting Head of the Ghana Customs Laboratory, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Samuel Akrofi, has said that the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) makes trade facilitation seamless.
Akrofi said ICUMS had been helpful to the operations of Customs, as the majority of its operations that used to be manually handled had been automated, reducing human interference.
The Customs Revenue Officer said this at a media forum powered by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) on the topic “Enhancing Trade Facilitation and Security, Ghana Customs Commitment to Efficiency, Innovation, and Economic Growth.”
“So, the ICUMS have been able to help us to move most of our operations that used to be manual to more automated systems, reducing human interfaces. It also helps when it comes to integrated issues. And have a system that is seamless so that trade can be facilitated while not also compromising the element of security,” he stated.
He noted that ICUMS was an update of existing systems, indicating that Customs started off with manual, moved to automated systems for customs data, and the Ghana Customs Management System.
Akrofi said all the challenges encountered during the implementation of the systems had been corrected in the ICUMS, making it difficult for anybody to falsify documents, and more efficient during scrutinising documents and facilitating the trade process.
He said the whole international trade regime was evolving, and as a customs division that had also evolved, looking at the trade value chain to see which areas humans could be removed and be replaced with equipment, adding, however, that it did not totally eliminate human activities but where technology could facilitate the goods they were done.
He added that, for instance, they use more scanners to do non-intrusive inspections, making use of x-ray systems, GAMA systems, trans infrared spectroscopy, field Raman spectroscopy equipment, and backscatter systems to be able to see beyond the surface to get a better understanding of the consignment.
On how Customs collaborates with other state agencies in the clearance process, the Chief Revenue Officer said all the agencies had access to the ICUMS, which also allowed them to have joint inspections, ensuring that every agency can put information into the system in real time based on the information they have.
He disclosed that state security and intelligence agencies were the consumers of information Customs possessed, noting that “Customs sits on a goldmine of intelligence because we have information on exporters, on originating countries, and on destinations. We have a lot more information that can give a bigger picture of the container that is right before us.”
Akrofi said, “So apart from giving them access to the ICUMS, we also have joint working technical committees, where we train officers together, execute tax together, and build formal and informal relationships to help us use the information that comes through our borders to ensure the security of our state while facilitating trade.”
He said their work as Customs was to be a facilitator of trade, compliant trade, and a barrier to any illegal activities within the entire global trade value chain, adding that ultimately, Customs hoped that they would achieve that mandate.
He added that being aware of smuggling and the role the criminal economy plays in global trade, as well as the strategic position of Ghana in the scheme of shipment, they were using a lot of technology and collaborating with other international organisations and risk management to identify traders they could trust.
“For everybody who imports, exports, or trades with us, we build the profile, and we have a red channel for people who require more stringent checks and a yellow channel if you can earn the trust of customs, and here I will implore the trading community to provide accurate data and the right documents and invoices because that works in your favour. Once you do that, we trust you more, and you are moved from the red channel to a yellow channel,” he said.
He added that “if you are on the yellow channel and you continue to become a compliant trader, we move you to a green channel where the checks are very limited, and because of the trust, we allow you to take your goods. There is a further channel called the blue channel where we have the trusted traders, and for them, we even release the goods before their arrival at the port.”
The Customs Revenue Officer indicated that all these were to encourage voluntary compliance so that Customs could trust the trading community and could be able to facilitate the movement of their goods.