The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has thrown its support behind the use of the Publican AI for customs classification and valuation at the country’s ports of entry, describing it as a credible system to improve invoice declarations and boost revenue mobilisation. 

The endorsement of the AI-based valuation system, known as Publican Trade Solution, followed a detailed demonstration and engagement session with members of the association who are mainly into manufacturing.

During the interaction, members of the association took turns to raise pertinent concerns with the use of the new system, which were addressed by the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, and his team.

In an interview with the media after the meeting last Thursday, the President of AGI, Kofi Nsiah-Poku, stated that the association was satisfied with how the system worked.

“From the explanations and demonstration that they have done, we don’t have any problem with the Publican AI, and therefore, we support it,” he said. 

Background

The Publican AI system is a digital vetting tool deployed by the GRA in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance to help customs officers make decisions on classification and valuation of imported items.

It helps to reduce human discretion and combats trade fraud.

The system became mandatory for all import clearances on March 12, this year, and serves as a complement to the existing Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), the main interface used for international trade declarations and clearance.

While the government champions the initiative as a necessary step to curb massive revenue leakages, its deployment has sparked debate and opposition from key stakeholders, including traders, importers, exporters and freight forwarders, who at an earlier engagement with journalists supported the deployment of the system.

Their bone of contention now, however, is that the new valuation system threatened lawful trade, investor confidence and the country’s standing as a regional trade hub, with claims that it gave wrong and arbitrary valuations.

AGI’s position

However, Mr Nsiah-Poku after the meeting with GRA, explained that the association’s position was informed by extensive engagement with its members, who had been given the opportunity to interrogate the system and seek clarifications from the GRA.

He stressed that while members were largely satisfied with the explanations provided, concerns remained about the timeliness of dispute resolution, which authorities had pledged to address within a 48-hour window.

“We have asked our questions and they have been able to answer them, and the Commissioner-General has assured us that within 48 hours all protests will be resolved,” he stated.

Mr Nsiah-Poku said AGI’s support was, however, contingent on the system’s ability to generate accurate valuations, particularly with regard to country-specific pricing, warning that reliance on averaged global prices could distort import values.

He added that aligning valuation with the country from which goods were originating would enhance fairness, build confidence among importers and ensure broader acceptance of the system.

GRA’s response

Responding to concerns raised by members of the AGI, the Commissioner-General of GRA explained that the introduction of the Publican AI system formed part of broader efforts to enhance fairness, reduce revenue leakages and improve trade facilitation.

Mr Sarpong stated that the authority had strengthened its existing appeal processes by committing to resolve disputes within 48 hours to prevent delays in cargo clearance and business operations.

“One of the important things we do is trade facilitation and, therefore, the process we have should not lead to delays, so resolving appeal issues within 48 hours, will help importers clear their goods in time,” he said. 

Persistent challenges

Mr Sarpong said that the system was designed to address persistent challenges such as under-declaration, misclassification and incorrect country of origin, which had over the years led to significant revenue losses and market distortions.

He stated that analysis of import data had shown substantial discrepancies between declared values and actual financial transfers, underscoring the need for a more robust and technology-driven validation process.

The Commissioner-General said the AI tool would support customs officers by providing real-time data analysis to guide valuation decisions, while maintaining existing human oversight mechanisms to ensure accuracy and fairness.

Mr Sarpong added that the system did not introduce any new taxes or charges, but rather ensured that businesses paid the correct duties, thereby promoting equity, protecting government revenue and strengthening confidence in the country’s trade regime.