President of the Association of Customs House Agents Ghana (ACHAG), Yaw Kyei, has described the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) as one of the best trade facilitation system ever deployed at the nation’s ports.
According to him, the ICUMS tops all trade facilitation systems deployed at the country’s ports since the nation begun automating goods clearance processes at the ports in the late 90s.
“ICUMS in terms of speed and ease of doing business, is one of the best we be gotten so far. You can now put in your declaration far ahead of time even before the vessel comes and also go ahead to effect duty payments, something previously not done,” he stated.
Also noting that, goods clearance processes at the ports for the most part, have been automated.
“Goods processing and clearance have also been automated, you can sit in the house and effect payments and clear goods. You can even pay through MoMo,” he added.
ICUMS is an all-in-one customs management solution specially tailored for the port needs of Ghana. It is a modern and world class technology acknowledged by international bodies such as the World Trade Organisation and the World Customs Organisations to facilitate trade, ensure end-to-end supply chain security and increase revenue.
Discussing the topic Seamless Clearance of Cargo at the Port; The Journey So Far, Mr Kyei noted that unlike the previous systems particularly the manual system in which goods clearance could take up to a week, with the ICUMS, goods clearance can take within 4 hours to 24 hours if an importer has successfully undergone the processes.
“There has been a great difference comparing now to the manual systems, I remember then you need a calculator in your office to do the calculations yourself and then go to the long room to queue. You then had to do compliance by moving from one desk to another in the long room which usually took long hours,” he stated.
“If my mind serves me right one was able to clear goods within one week, and that was even if you were lucky, because at times your documents could go missing,” he noted.
“It looks like with the new system, it is possible to clear goods within 4 to 24 hours on the same day they arrive if you are able to match your documents to the necessary information contained in the system as well as to the goods,” Mr Kyei further intimated.
Mr Kyei however, bemoaned the multiple physical inspection of goods by multiple government agencies at the ports, noting it impedes the quick clearance of goods.
“A lot of government agencies conduct physical inspections on goods to classify it as red which means the goods pose a risk, orange and green where green means that the goods pose no risks. You have the National Security, CEPS, Customs, Joint Port Control Unit and others who inspect the goods, and this impedes the fast clearance of goods,” he averred.
