The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is strengthening customs valuation, digital systems and trade facilitation to support businesses operating under the government’s 24-hour economy policy, while protecting local manufacturers against unfair competition from undervalued and smuggled imports.
Commissioner-General of the GRA, Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, said efficient revenue administration was essential to ensuring that businesses operating around the clock could access reliable customs services, predictable procedures and faster movement of goods through the country’s ports.
Speaking at the 15th Ghana Economic Forum in Accra, he said the Authority recognised that revenue administration must serve as an enabler of economic activity rather than an obstacle to business expansion.
He explained that manufacturers importing raw materials and other production inputs required confidence that their consignments would be processed without avoidable delays, while exporters needed efficient procedures to remain competitive in international markets.
Businesses operating continuously under the 24-hour economy, he added, also depended on reliable digital platforms and predictable administrative processes.
“Businesses operating around the clock need reliable digital platforms and predictable procedures,” he said.
The GRA is therefore deploying technology and modernising customs administration to improve the efficiency and accuracy of trade-related processes.
A key intervention is Publican AI, which supports customs classification and valuation, helping the Authority identify discrepancies in the declared values and classifications of imported goods.
Mr. Sarpong said the system yields not less than US$100 million per month, highlighting its importance in improving customs revenue collection and reducing losses.
The Authority is also pursuing reforms to customs and excise legislation, alongside continued enforcement against smuggling and the diversion of goods meant for transit.
According to the Commissioner-General, these interventions go beyond revenue collection, as they help protect Ghanaian manufacturers from importers who gain an unfair price advantage by under-declaring the value of goods or evading customs duties.
He said every undervalued container represented not only revenue lost to the state but also an unfair competitive advantage against local producers.
The measures, he noted, were particularly important to the government’s industrialisation agenda and 24-hour economy policy, which seek to expand production, value addition and employment.
However, Mr. Sarpong stressed that stronger enforcement must be balanced with trade facilitation to ensure legitimate businesses are not subjected to unnecessary administrative delays.
He said the GRA was working within a wider economic ecosystem involving energy, transport, trade facilitation and finance, all of which must function effectively to support industrial expansion.
The Commissioner-General further noted that a competitive industrial economy required reliable energy, affordable capital, modern transport infrastructure and a skilled workforce.
He maintained that the Authority’s responsibility was to ensure that customs and tax administration supported these priorities through efficiency, transparency and technology.
The approach, he said, would help Ghana strengthen domestic production while creating a more predictable operating environment for businesses seeking to expand their activities and take advantage of the 24-hour economy.
Source: businesspostonline
