By: Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Traders Advocacy Group Ghana (TAGG) has raised serious concerns about what it describes as ongoing extortion by some members of the Ghana Customs Task Force operating in the Ashanti Region.
At a press conference on Monday, TAGG leadership said the Task Force, created to verify the movement and valuation of goods cleared at Ghana’s ports has allegedly evolved into what traders now call an “extortion machinery,” undermining smooth business operations and eroding trust in state institutions.
TAGG President Nana Poku said trading groups initially supported the creation of the Task Force, believing it would enhance fairness and compliance. “However, we soon realised that the system had been abused, and the Task Force had become a channel for unlawful collections,” he noted.
According to TAGG, several importers have reported that monies allegedly collected by officers in the Ashanti Region are sent back to Accra, creating incentives for every new Customs Commissioner to maintain or expand such task forces.
The group pointed to what it describes as a major test case involving an officer identified as Prince Daniels Mensah Odai, popularly known as Prince, who is said to be leading the Ashanti Region Task Force. TAGG alleges that on 21st October 2025, Officer Prince intercepted two containers en route to Kumasi after the importer had already cleared four containers, paid duties at the port, and delivered two of them to Accra.
The officer allegedly claimed the remaining containers had been undervalued and demanded a payment of GHS 120,000, eventually settling on GHS 40,000, which TAGG says was paid through mobile money and cash.
However, after learning that the matter had been reported to TAGG, the officer is alleged to have paid the same amount into government coffers two days later, on 25th October 2025, in what the group describes as an attempt to conceal wrongdoing.
TAGG believes this case may represent a wider pattern of behaviour. “We are asking: how many more importers have suffered similar treatment? How many payments have gone undocumented or misrepresented as ‘recoveries’?” the group questioned.
The organisation also warned that such practices could erode public confidence in the current government, just as similar issues contributed to discontent under the previous administration.
TAGG is calling on the government to launch an immediate investigation into the Ashanti Region Task Force, conduct a full audit of Customs task forces nationwide, and establish an independent reporting system for traders to lodge complaints without fear of retaliation.
The group insists that Customs already possesses adequate systems to ensure proper duty collection, and therefore the proliferation of task forces raises questions about efficiency, transparency, and intent.
“Our goal is not confrontation but accountability,” Nana Poku said. “We urge the government to act swiftly to restore confidence and protect the business community.”
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