The Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, has confirmed that the government is financing the Publican AI system introduced to modernise operations at Ghana’s ports.

The system, designed to streamline import clearance processes, has generated significant debate within the shipping and logistics sector, with authorities maintaining that it will enhance efficiency, improve transparency and reduce delays.

Despite these assurances, the rollout has been met with resistance from key stakeholders, particularly freight forwarders, leading to heightened tensions across the port community.

As part of the opposition, freight forwarders and clearing agents were directed to suspend duty payments and withdraw their services from Monday, April 13 to Friday, April 17, 2026, under a nationwide industrial action declared by the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations.

However, the Ghana Shippers’ Authority has indicated that GUTA has since agreed to suspend the planned full-scale strike following a high-level engagement between the parties.

Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV on Monday, April 13, Mr Sarpong said: “Government is paying because we realised that this will give us more money.”

He added that the cost of the system could not be disclosed due to contractual confidentiality, but emphasised that the procurement process was conducted transparently and approved by Parliament.

“This is one of the procurements we undertook with the highest level of transparency. We went through Parliament, and it approved the selection,” he stated.