Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Wednesday announced a new set of regulations to guide operations at the country’s ports.
They include the removal of customs barriers within the country, mandatory joint inspections, as well as ensuring paperless ports from September 1, 2017.
In the next six months, government aims to have a robust risk engine which would grant customs clearance in a maximum of four hours.
It is being modelled after existing practice in Dubai where customs officials are able to grant customs clearance in one and half seconds.
“We are dissatisfied, because of the overall procedures, inexplicable charges, delays, lack of transparency and the complexity in port operations.”
Making the announcement at media briefing at the presidency, Dr Bawumia noted that “we are moving from a system of applying substandard and unnecessary complex procedures at the port to a system which meets international standards, we need value for money as a nation and we are going to insist on it.”
Short term measures
He said government would begin the implementation of a risk clearance system at the pre-arrival stage, which would make it possible for compliant importers to sit in the comfort of their offices and get customs clearance.
He added that every activity at the ports is expected to be fed into the risk engine to enable them keep a record of importers.
Furthermore, government also intends to introduce what it called ‘the first port rule’ in Ghana.
This would provide the avenue for the duty of goods destined for countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to be paid here in Ghana to serve as a check on the dumping of goods destined for neighbouring countries in Ghana.
Vice President said government would promote ‘intelligent 3D scanners’ that would be an improvement over the 2D scanners currently being used at the country’s ports.
Customs barriers
Dr Bawumia was optimistic introducing the ‘first port rule’ in Ghana would make all internal customs barriers redundant in the long-term.
The duties would be paid on goods destined for re-export and with the new automated gate opening system at the port which will be linked to the risk engine.
He was convinced that “no vehicle will be able to leave the port without paying their duty.”
Dr Bawumia indicated that in the short term, they would be replaced with occasional patrols.
Mandatory joint inspections
“With effect from September 1 this year, we are introducing a risk engine which will assign risk levels to importers based on their level of compliance. When the need arises for inspections, the agencies needed for the inspections will be informed about the inspection time and place for joint inspections and they will have to sign in on an electronic device at the inspection shed to confirm their participation.”
Paperless process
With the help and cooperation of all the stakeholders at the ports, Dr Bawumia revealed that “we have mapped out a process flow which will take effect from the 1st of September 2017”, indicating that “agencies and stakeholders presented paperless process flows, which we merged into a process flow that will enable compliant importers to sit in the comfort of their offices or homes and get customs clearance.”
“Terminals which are not ready for automation by 1st September will be left behind, and people who do not comply will be sanctioned, because every activity by importers will be fed into the risk engine as we build risk profiles for importers and exporters.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent