The new Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) within a week generated ‎₵177.3 million revenue at the Tema Port as a result of successful processing of 4,793 Bills of Entry (BoE) from Custom house agents and freight forwarders.

A statement from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Sunday said the amount was not the total revenue generated at Tema Port for last week.

This is because a large chunk of BoE for goods cleared last week had been processed through the systems of the outgone service providers and the revenues declared through that system.

The statement said Customs was expected to complete processing of all BoE declared through the previous systems in the next two weeks to reflect the full revenue generated at the Port.

The GRA and its technical partner, Ghana Link Network Services Limited, deployed ICUMS for trade facilitation in the country.

On Monday, June 1, 2020 ICUMS fully took over at the Tema Port and it processed 400 BoE.

This was achieved despite teething challenges, including some importers, freight forwarders and clearing agents having knowledge gap, even after training.

Mr Emmanuel Ohene, the Assistant Commissioner of the Customs Division of the GRA, commended stakeholders for their commitment and support for the ICUMS implementation.

“Indeed, we are happy to see the declarants successfully create their BOE since June 1, 2020, when the ICUMS went live.”

“Even though there might be some few challenges, this is normal with new systems being deployed anywhere in the world. But I can assure you that we stand ready to deal with such issues in the trade facilitation value chain,” he said.

Mr Ohene, who is also the Chairman of the implementation team of ICUMS, appealed to stakeholders and the trading public to abandon their reluctant attitude towards the change in the systems in order to fully appreciate the benefits of the ICUMS, which would achieve the government’s single window and end-to-end customs management system goals.

ICUMS is a comprehensive clearance system that works to facilitate trade and ensure national security and safety.

It is recognised by international bodies such as the World Trade Organisation, the World Customs Organisation, the World Bank, and the World Economic Forum.