The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), in collaboration with West Blue Consults, has commissioned the electronic payment zone facility at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
The e-zone, which was established as part of the Ghana National Single Window project, will serve as customer service center for importers and exporters, and facilitate the payment of port charges and other services by exporters to the Authority, among others.
Exporters in the past have had to go through challenges in transacting business with the GRA, and the establishment of the new facility will make it more flexible for shippers and other stakeholders to transact business.
George Blankson, Commissioner-General, GRA, in his remarks at the inauguration of the facility, said the e-zone would help to boost trade and revenue for government.
He said importers could access information and transact business in an easy and convenient way.
“The creation of E-Zone at the ports is to serve as a one stop shop for all exporters. This forms part of measures under the GNSW project to synchronize operations at the port,” Mr Blanskon said.
Deputy Minister of Finance, Mona Quartey, in her remarks, said the e-zone will ensure fiscal discipline and make the transaction of business at the port easy, calling on importers in the country to make good use of the facility.
Muntala Mohammed, a Deputy Minister of Trade, said the single window being implemented by government would help reduce the cost and time of doing business at the port.
Even though the project has taken off very well, there are still some challenges which all the stakeholders are working together to solve in order to make business at the port easy for everyone,” he said.
“We can’t say that all our problems have been solved with the implementation of the single window. It is a process not an event so we are sure that gradually the problem we face in doing business at the ports will soon be reduced to the barest minimum,” the Minister added.
By Cephas Larbi
cephrok@yahoo.com