The allegation that some officers within the Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) are colluding with importers to undervalue goods, resulting in significant revenue losses to the state, is a serious matter which mustn’t be downplayed.
This follows the interception of 18 articulated trucks at the Akanu and Aflao borders on February 18, this year. The trucks were declared as being in transit to Niger and were carrying assorted goods including cooking oil, spaghetti and tomato paste.
The vehicles were allegedly moving without the mandatory Customs human escort, a serious breach of established transit procedures.
Deputy Minister for Finance Thomas Nyarko Ampem notes that the issue of Customs officers aiding importers to manipulate declarations has been a longstanding concern. He made the point because while Customs procedures mandate that officers escort transit goods across the country, two officers assigned to accompany the trucks were absent at the time of interception.
He disclosed that the two officers who were officially booked in the system to escort the trucks failed to do so and later offered various explanations when questioned.
Government has announced a sweeping ban on the land transit of cooking oil through Ghana’s borders, directing that all such consignments must henceforth be routed exclusively through the country’s seaports.
Under the new measure, cooking oil consignments entering Ghana for onward transit to landlocked countries will no longer be permitted to move through land border collection points. Instead, they must be processed exclusively through Ghana’s seaports where stricter valuation systems, electronic tracking, scanning infrastructure and layered Customs controls are operational.
In addition to the prohibition on land transit of cooking oil, the minister has directed Ghana Revenue Authority to implement enhanced monitoring and strict compliance enforcement for all transactions originating from land collection points.
Government is determined to clamp down on organised Customs-related fraud and restore discipline within the system.
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