The Government has directed the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), to remove all barriers on the country’s roads effective September 1, 2017.

This forms part of a three-phase policy reform to make Ghana’s ports competitive on the continent, Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has announced.

“From September 1st [2017] Ghana is going 100% paperless at the ports. The first policy reform is to do with the transit corridors and the barriers that inhibit or delay or extort as far as transit trade is concerned,” Dr. Bawumia stated while addressing a conference on Port Efficiency in Accra. 

The Customs Division ensures the protection of revenue by preventing smuggling. This is done by physically patrolling the borders and other strategic points, examination of goods, and searches of premises, as well as documents relating to the goods.

Dr Bawumia charged the Customs Division to “ensure all internal Customs Barriers are eliminated in Ghana from September 1”.

The directive when implemented would see an end to physical inspection of goods at Customs Checkpoints mounted on major highways across the country.

Transit Routes

Transit goods destined for other countries enter the country through one entry point and leave the country by road or rail through another entry or exit point.

The main transit routes are Tema-Kumasi-Tamale-Paga; Tema-Kumasi-Tamale-Hamile; Aflao-Accra-Takoradi-Elubo and Takoradi-Kumasi-Tamale-Paga.

The Vice President indicated government will soon announce a major decision on reforming the ports that will look at addressing the issue of multiple agents at the ports.

He said the “first policy reform is to do with the transit corridors and the barriers that inhibit or delay or extort as far as transit trade is concerned.”

“We want to strengthen tracking at the port and checking at the ports…To deal with the whole issues that have to do with the presence of multiple agencies at the port,” the Vice-President said.

Listen to Dr Bawumia speak on the removal of Customs Checkpoints: