Government warns freight forwarders against using old customs systems for new declarations

Deputy Minister of Finance, Kwaku Kwarteng, has issued a strong warning to freight forwarders who may want to use the old customs management systems to declare their goods.

He said the new integrated system being managed by Universal Pass (UNIPASS) should be used at all the 49 border posts including, Elubo and Aflao.

The new system has been deployed by Ghana Link Services Limited and Korea Customs Services in collaboration with the Ghana Revenue Authority.

The Minister made the comment in reaction to assertions by some freight forwarders that the old management system works better for them.

Mr Kwarteng said it will be in the interest of the freight forwarders to comply with the government’s directives.

“If anybody that is required to process through the new system chooses to do it through the old system so be it…at some point they are not going to be able to do that. So the earlier they start doing business through the new system, and if there are challenges they get them resolved, the better it will be,” he said.

He added that the government will not pay the old vendors if they process declarations by the freight forwarders and at some point, they will be compelled to shut down their system.