The Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) for the first four (4) months of 2021 –Janaury to April – generated for government some Ghs 6.61 billion.
Sources of the recorded revenue include total imports, petroleum imports, the Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD) of the GRA, the ESLA Plc and Non GRA revenues.
Per data available to norvanreports, mobilised revenues for total imports and petroleum imports, amounted to Ghs 4.07 billion and Ghs 763 million respectively.
Revenues from DTRD, ESLA Plc and Non-GRA also amounted to Ghs 867 million, Ghs 801 million and Ghs 106 million respectively.
For the second half of 2020 – June to December – the ICUMS system accumulated for government, a total revenue of Ghs 11.5 billion.
For the period between June 2020 to April 2021 – nearly a year after the full roll-out of the ICUMS system at Ghana’s entry points – a total of Ghs 18.1 billion has been generated in revenue.
Total revenues generated from total imports and petroleum imports in the first 10 months of the trade facilitation tool, amounted to Ghs 11.1 billion and Ghs 2.09 billion respectively.
Accumulated revenues from the DTRD of GRA, ESLA Plc and Non-GRA revenues also amounted to Ghs 2.04 billion, Ghs 2.2 billion and Ghs 291 million respectively.
Raymond Amaglo, Director of Operations of Ghana Link Network Services Limited, in an interview noted the recorded revenues through the ICUMS platform represented a 34 percent month-on-month average increment in revenues.
“The ICUMS system has sealed government revenue leakages and loopholes at the country’s points of entry – land and sea borders. Currently, records show that on average, revenues have increased by 34 percent on a month-on-month basis and this is even amid the Covid pandemic,” he said.
Deployed on June 1, 2020, the ICUMS currently covers some 135 Customs operational points across the country including the Elubo and Aflao borders, the Tema and Takoradi ports, as well as the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
The implementation of the ICUMS system according to its managers – Ghana Link – will done in 4 phases with each phase having a set of modules expected to enhance the use of the trade facilitation tool particularly by the trading community.
At the moment, implementation of the ICUMS is at the second phase with some features expected to be introduced in the coming weeks.
The expected features to be introduced include; the E-auction feature, the advanced passenger information system mainly for airports, E-wallet, the authorised and economic operator module which prioritizes applications of compliant traders among others.
