Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyeremanteng has assigned reasons for the introduction and subsequent implementation of trade facilitation system – Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) – at the nation’s sea and land borders.
Speaking at a forum organised by the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) sector of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority at the Terminal 3, the Minister noted that ICUMS was introduced by government to check the multiplicity of service providers in trade facilitation processes at the country’s borders as well as challenges with revenue generation.
The Trade Minister also added that the multiplicity of service providers on different platforms, made it difficult to manage the interplay between the various stakeholders in the previous systems.
The second reason for the introduction of ICUMS the Minister noted is to enhance revenue generation at the country’s sea and land borders as audits of the previous trade facilitation systems showed revenue generation challenges.
He added that, the implementation of ICUMS at the ports despite some teething problems in its initial stages of implementation, has significantly improved Ghana’s port revenue mobilization efforts.