The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has explained the operations of the red and green channels at the Accra International Airport, indicating their importance to revenue mobilisation and national security. 

The explanation followed concerns in the public space suggesting that the Accra International Airport did not have designated red and green channels for arriving passengers. 

Mr Aaron Kanor, the Commissioner, Customs Division of GRA, said the two channels were available at the airport and served distinct purposes in the processing of travellers and their luggage. 

He said the red channel was for travellers with goods to declare, particularly commercial quantities, while the green channel was for passengers who had nothing to declare. 

Mr Kanor said passengers with goods to declare were expected to use the red channel, where Customs officers would process the goods and collect applicable duties and taxes. 

He said, however, that the green channel did not mean that passengers using it were completely exempt from Customs checks. 

He said Customs scanners captured images of luggage, enabling officers to identify bags requiring further examination, including those belonging to passengers who might have failed to declare taxable items. 

Mr Kanor said the red and green channel system was consistent with international Customs practices and the revised Kyoto Convention, adding that Customs administrations across jurisdictions operated similar systems. 

The revenue collected through the channels contributed to the provision of roads, hospitals and other public infrastructure, making compliance by travellers important to national development, he said. 

The Commissioner said Customs checks also served purposes beyond revenue mobilisation, including public safety, national security and the protection of the country against prohibited items such as firearms. 

He said the GRA was working towards procuring handheld scanners by the end of the year to make inspections faster and more efficient at the airport. 

The GRA was also undergoing digital transformation and would deploy Advanced Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record systems to improve passenger profiling and Customs operations. 

He cautioned travellers against carrying excessive quantities of items, particularly mobile phones belonging to others, saying that quantities beyond personal allowances could be treated as commercial imports and subject to applicable duties and taxes. 

Madam Grace Assumin, the Chief Revenue Officer, Preventive, AIA, said Customs operated scanners covering the four luggage belts at Terminal Three to assist officers in identifying prohibited, restricted and taxable items. 

She said when a bag was flagged by the scanning system, it was brought to the arrival hall for officers to determine the nature of the contents. 

Madam Assumin said that where officers could not establish the identity or nature of an item through scanning, they conducted physical examinations to verify the contents. 

She said that after passengers passed through immigration, their luggage proceeded through the scanning system before being conveyed to the arrival hall and carousel through the conveyor belts.