Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Minister of Finance, has directed an immediate ban on the land transit of selected products through Ghana’s borders.
The affected items include cooking oil, rice, sugar, frozen products, textiles, flour, canned tomatoes, pasta or spaghetti and pharmaceutical products.
The directive followed a meeting between Dr Forson, Mr Aaron Akanor, Acting Commissioner of Customs, and the Management of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to review developments at Ghana’s borders.
The Minister directed that the affected products be routed exclusively through Ghana’s seaports and would no longer be permitted to enter or transit through the country via land borders.
He also instructed the GRA to implement measures aimed at strengthening border controls and protecting government revenue.
Dr Forson said the decision formed part of efforts to tighten border controls and address recurring revenue leakages associated with the transit of such goods through land borders.
He also directed the recentralisation of the Customs Technical Services Bureau (CTSB) to establish a one-stop shop for valuation and improve intelligence sharing within the Customs Division.
The move would enhance the use of data and insights generated through the Publican AI system to strengthen Customs’ ability to detect irregularities and improve compliance.
Dr Forson emphasised that the measures were intended to strengthen enforcement at Ghana’s borders, close revenue leakages and safeguard government revenue.
He therefore instructed all relevant departments and units within the Customs Division of the GRA to ensure strict compliance with the directives with immediate effect.
Mr Akanor pledged the support of the Customs Division to ensure the successful implementation of the directive.
