The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority has assured stakeholders of its commitment to reducing the long duration of goods clearance at various ports across the country by 50%.

Currently, it takes about 10–12 days to clear goods at the Tema port, 7 days at the Kotoka International Airport, and 3 days at the various land borders, according to findings from a recent study conducted across five major ports.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of stakeholders’ engagement on the implementation of the Times Release Study, the Commissioner of Customs, Seidu Iddi Iddisah, expressed confidence in cutting down the time drastically to afford clients the ease of doing business.

“We deal with several agencies and we have identified areas that delay the early release of goods and what to do to shorten the time, and we are looking at reducing the delays by 50 percent in the next two years.”

The Times Release Study is a report conducted across some ports in the country to identify and address bottlenecks associated with clearing goods. The report is the first of its kind in Ghana, sponsored by the USAID and other donors.

The Commissioner of Customs noted that the problems accounting for the delay will be dealt with within two years.

He added that when the situation is improved, businesses will reap the full benefits.