Carlos Ahenkorah and members of the committee
MEMBERS OF the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade and Industry have expressed contentment about the operation of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) deployed at the country’s ports.
ICUMS, a trade facilitation tool, is fast tracking the clearing of goods and services at the country’s ports, raking in more revenue for the country.
According to Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, ICUMS generates between GH¢1.3 billion and GH¢ 1.4 billion every month.
According to him, the present revenue figures indicate the blockage of some GH¢6 billion revenue leakage in the previous system manned by GCNet and West Blue.
“We have seen significant increase in revenue, if you take the average revenue generated before June 2020 – before the deployment of ICUMS – it was between GH¢800 million and GH¢900 million per month, but now we are doing about GH¢ 1.3 billion to GH¢1.4 billion per month. Indicating that we are doing about GH¢300 million or GH¢400 million more every month and if you multiply that by 12 months, that’s like GH¢6 billion in revenues for one year alone, and this was how much was being lost,” the Commissioner-General indicated in a recent interview with Eye on Port.
The MPs last week visited Ghana Link Limited offices, operators of the new customs trade facilitation tool, at East Legon to have a firsthand knowledge of the programme.
Executive Chairman of Ghana Link, Nick Danso Adjei, expressed happiness for the visit, saying that the introduction of ICUMS has changed the face of doing business at the ports.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, who supervised the operationalisation of the ICUMs when he was a deputy Minister of Trade, also expressed satisfaction with effectiveness level of the ICUMS.
President of the Association of Customs House Agents Ghana (ACHAG), Yaw Kyei, also commended the deployment of ICUMS, describing it as the best Customs management system the country has ever had.
From Vincent Kubi, Tema