The Introduction of the Integrated Customs Management Systems at the country’s ports and other entry points has contributed to a significant improvement in revenue mobilization.

According to the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Rev. Amisshadai Owusu Amoah, the new system has supported the authority to exceed its revenue target by about 30%.

Rev. Owusu-Amoah made this revelation in an engagement with the Customs Uni-pass Agency of Korea (CUPIA) officials when they paid a courtesy call on him as part of an enhanced collaboration between stakeholders and the managers of the ICUMS, Ghana Link.

ICUMs is an electronic customs management system introduced to coordinate cross border trade activities and increase government revenue from the ports.

The project is aimed at reducing delayed clearance of goods at the ports and what government termed as leakage in revenue mobilisation.

Rev. Owusu Amoah also hinted of the significant returns from auctions since the introduction of ICUMs into the e-auction process which is being piloted at some selected ports and centers of the Ghana Revenue Authority.

“Since we introduced the E-auction which is even on the pilot phase, we have seen significant improvement in the returns we get from the auction of cars and goods.

“The last two we did for the goods, we received more than the reserve price for the total cost of the goods that were auctioned and it was a significant deviation from the previous times since the E-auction was introduced,” he noted.

The Minister of Trade and Industry Alan Kyerematen added that plans are on course to ensure that the ICUMs is made robust so that it can withstand the dynamics of the market.

ICUMs has also been enhanced to take care of exports and imports under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.