Aflao (V/R), March 31, – The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIIF), Aflao District, has issued an ultimatum to the Ministry of Finance to respond to concerns over recent trade and customs measures or face possible lawful action.
The Association said the Ministry must respond by Tuesday, April 7, 2026, warning that freight forwarders could no longer endure what they described as unfair and burdensome policies affecting their operations within the Ketu South and Ketu North Municipalities.
Mr Abijah Osabutey-Ayor, Chairman of the GIIF Aflao District, in a press statement, said the trade corridors in the area remained vital to revenue mobilisation, cross-border trade and job creation, especially in border communities.
He said freight forwarders, who served as key partners to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), had in the past month been subjected to measures that were negatively affecting their businesses and livelihoods.
“These challenges do not only affect our businesses but also have broader implications for trade facilitation, the cost of doing business, and the efficiency of Ghana’s import and export ecosystem,” he said.
Mr Osabutey-Ayor raised concerns about the Publican Digital Inspection Solution, an Artificial Intelligence-powered system introduced to enhance customs inspection and valuation.
He said although the system was designed to detect undervaluation, misclassification and fraudulent declarations, its implementation had resulted in inflated customs values that often ignored internationally accepted valuation principles such as the transaction value method.
According to him, this situation had led to frequent disputes, arbitrary duty assessments and excessive financial burdens on traders.
He also criticised the centralisation of the Customs Technical Services Bureau valuation functions in Accra, saying it had caused delays in the classification and valuation of goods.
He said the delays had resulted in high demurrage and rent charges at seaports, airports and land borders, thereby increasing the cost of doing business.
Mr Osabutey-Ayor further expressed concern about the lack of an effective appeals system, explaining that freight forwarders were unable to challenge valuation decisions because the proposed Publican Secretariat had not yet become operational.
Questioning the efficiency of the system, he asked how artificial intelligence could accurately determine the value of used cargo.
The Association is therefore demanding the decentralisation of classification and valuation processes, a review of the AI system to align with international standards and the establishment of a transparent and accessible dispute resolution system.
On the ban on selected commodities through land borders, Mr Osabutey-Ayor criticised what he described as a blanket restriction on items including rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil, spaghetti, canned tomatoes, textiles, frozen products and pharmaceuticals.
He argued that the directive contravened the Customs Act, 2015 (Act 891), which provides procedures for regulating imports and transit goods without granting unilateral authority for such bans.
He described the decision as administratively ultra vires and inconsistent with Article 23 of the 1992 Constitution, which requires public officials to act fairly and reasonably.
Mr Osabutey-Ayor said the directive was also inconsistent with AfCFTA and ECOWAS trade facilitation principles and warned of possible economic and employment consequences if the policy was not reviewed.
He called for the immediate suspension of the directive and urged the Ministry to engage stakeholders, including the GIIF Aflao District leadership, to resolve the concerns.
Mr Osabutey-Ayor said although the Association remained open to dialogue, failure by the Ministry to respond within the stated period would compel members to take lawful steps to protect their interests.
GHBUSS
March 31, 2026
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