ICUMS: Scanning is an essential part of the cargo clearing process -Ghana Link
Head of the Scanning Division at Ghana Link Network Services, Joojo Morrison, has in a training programme with the media elaborated on the distinctive nature of the scanning process cargoes go through before being transported out of the port.
NICK SCAN LTD, a division under Ghana Link which provides non-intrusive inspection of cargo services for the Customs Division of the GRA, has been the sole company in charge of scanning at the nation’s ports and borders.
The scanners in operation at the various ports and borders are internationally recognised and are of high standards, accounting for a higher inspection rate of cargo across the country.
With a throughput of 200 trucks per hour, the Sentry Portal scanner manufactured by Rapidscan AS&E and by far the best, is in full operation at the Tema Harbour with the Z Backscatter Van (ZBV) also in full operation at the Paga border with the same throughput of 200 trucks per hour.
The non-intrusive inspection has lessened the stress of having to physically examine cargo with its ability to unearth concealed items such as banned or undeclared items in the cargo and also confirming to an extent the quantity of the cargo.
The scanners at the Cargo Village, which are part of the Integrated Customs Management Systems (ICUMS) end-to-end system in the Single Window Operation, gave some smugglers up, with notable of them being the consignment which was to have been shipped to Hong Kong by Sky Freight Company Limited via Emirates (SkyCargo).
Indicative of more efforts being put in place to enhance the smooth scanning of cargo at the various ports, NICKSCAN LTD, will be installing a FS6000 scanner at the new Atlantic terminal at the Takoradi Harbour as well as replacing the Aflao border post scanner to meet customs requirement.
Ghana Link Network Service Limited, is a Ghanaian owned company which was established in 2001, and initially went into the business of Destination Inspection from 2003 to 2015.
In September 2015, Ghana Link was offered the contract, to run External Price Verification Program for GRA-Customs. In 2018, it was again offered the contract to establish a Single System to aid the generation of revenue from the country’s ports.
ICUMS under the UNIPASS-Ghana project, is government’s decision to engage a single service provider to develop and implement an end- to-end automated customs operational and management system.
The customs division of the GRA, Other Government Agencies (OGAs) and relevant private stakeholders involved in cross border trade are the primary users of the system.
The aim of Ghana Link is to be a single service provider, address revenue mobilization challenges, implement an effective and efficient trade facilitation and customs management system that further reduces the cost of doing business, and also to provide an integrated and comprehensive data exchange and information sharing among internal and external users.
