- Ghana Link Fires Back at ICUMS Critics, Demands Evidence of Downtime
Ghana Link Network Services Ltd, operators of the Integrated Customs Management System, has rejected recent allegations that the ICUMS platform is dysfunctional, describing the claims as false, misleading and unsupported by evidence.
In a strongly worded statement issued by its Public Relations Department on June 6, 2026, the company challenged the groups behind the allegations to provide proof of any system-wide downtime on the platform.
Ghana Link said some unknown groups describing themselves as civil society organisations had alleged that ICUMS was causing disruptions in port and customs operations. The company, however, dismissed the claims as baseless and part of what it described as an attempt to undermine confidence in a national trade facilitation platform.
“Ghana Link categorically rejects these allegations as baseless, misleading and unsupported by any verifiable evidence,” the statement said.
According to the company, the critics have not provided dates, incident references, affected transactions, technical evidence or confirmation from relevant state institutions and port stakeholders to support their claims.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the groups making these allegations have failed to point to a single verified instance of system-wide downtime on the ICUMS platform since January 2026,” Ghana Link stated.
It added that the groups were also unable to identify any such downtime after Ghana Link completed its new data centre infrastructure.
The company said the ICUMS platform continues to support customs transactions, revenue mobilisation and trade facilitation without the alleged disruptions being circulated by the unnamed groups.
“The facts speak for themselves. Since the completion of Ghana Link’s new data centre, the ICUMS platform has recorded improved system stability, stronger infrastructure resilience and enhanced service delivery,” the statement said.
Ghana Link argued that serious conversations about port reform and trade facilitation must be based on facts, not propaganda or politically motivated narratives.
It said persons genuinely interested in improving Ghana’s port and customs environment should engage the relevant institutions with evidence rather than make broad public allegations without technical proof.
“Serious national conversations about trade facilitation must be grounded in facts, not propaganda, conjecture or politically motivated narratives,” the company said.
ICUMS remains Ghana’s main digital platform for customs management, revenue protection, cargo clearance, risk management and trade facilitation.
For that reason, Ghana Link said claims that the system is dysfunctional must be backed by clear and verifiable evidence, not what it described as “empty allegations designed to mislead the public.”
The company also said it remains open to constructive engagement with legitimate civil society organisations, freight forwarders, customs officials, shipping lines, terminal operators, policymakers and the wider trading public.
However, it warned that it would not allow unfounded claims to damage public confidence in a platform it says continues to provide critical support to Ghana’s trade and revenue ecosystem.
“We will not allow unfounded claims to undermine public confidence in a system that continues to deliver critical support to Ghana’s trade and revenue ecosystem,” Ghana Link stated.
The company further challenged the groups to provide specific evidence of any system-wide downtime since January 2026, within the last month, or at any time after the completion of the new data centre.
“In the absence of such evidence, their claims must be treated for what they are: false, baseless and without merit,” the statement said.
Ghana Link said it remains committed to continuous improvement, stakeholder engagement, operational transparency and the delivery of a secure, efficient and reliable customs management platform.
The latest statement comes at a time when Ghana’s ports and customs systems remain central to revenue mobilisation, trade efficiency and business confidence.
Any disruption to a platform such as ICUMS could have significant implications for importers, exporters, freight forwarders, shipping lines, customs house agents, terminal operators and government revenue collection.
But Ghana Link’s position is clear: those alleging dysfunction must move beyond general claims and provide evidence.
If critics can produce verifiable records of downtime, affected transactions and institutional confirmation, their allegations may demand further scrutiny. But without such evidence, Ghana Link argues, the claims amount to an attempt to cast doubt on a critical national digital infrastructure platform without factual basis.
