Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) — Ghana's electronic customs platform using artificial intelligence for automated valuation and cargo clearance, operated by Ghana Link Network Services Ltd.
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Joy Online
… even critical questions to government and revenue authorities, including what accounted for the strong revenue gains between 2019 and 2024 and why leakages persist despite digital reforms such as the Electronic Revenue Assurance System and the Integrated Customs Management System …
IERPP raises alarm over GH¢600m fuel tax losses, demands tougher enforcementGhana Revenue Authority has assured taxpayers that technical challenges affecting tax payments through ICUMS, ITAS, and GITMIS platforms since August 14 are being addressed. The payment processing issue does not affect taxpayers' ability to file tax returns, though some transactions may experience delays.
20 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Ghana Revenue Authority has assured taxpayers that technical challenges affecting tax payments through ICUMS, ITAS, and GITMIS platforms since August 14 are being addressed. The payment processing issue does not affect taxpayers' ability to file tax returns, though some transactions may experience delays.
20 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Fidelity Bank has called for stronger stakeholder collaboration, harmonised trade systems, and targeted institutional support to remove structural barriers limiting the growth of Ghanaian traders and entrepreneurs, particularly women. The bank's director of banking operations identified poor data quality and fragmented customs systems as major obstacles to trade growth in Ghana and the region, and advocated for greater harmonisation of customs regimes across neighbouring countries.
20 August 2026 · Daily Guide →
Ghana's Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) uses artificial intelligence and pre-programmed valuation data to automate customs decisions, but the practice of overriding importers' documentary evidence raises legal questions about compliance with tax law, WTO valuation rules, and due process principles.
20 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Fidelity Bank has called for stronger stakeholder collaboration, harmonised trade systems, and targeted institutional support to remove structural barriers holding back Ghana's traders and entrepreneurs, particularly women. Senior leaders highlighted data quality and fragmented customs systems as pressing obstacles to trade growth, and noted that the effectiveness of artificial intelligence in transforming commerce depends on quality data.
14 August 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Shippers' Authority has begun nationwide sensitisation of shippers on mandatory registration on the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) in accordance with the Ghana Shippers' Authority Act, 2024, with officials from the GSA, GRA Customs Division, and ICUMS explaining how the electronic system will ease cargo clearance and support policy data collection.
7 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Ghana's international trade surplus more than tripled in 2025, driven by record gold earnings and strong cocoa and petroleum exports, according to the Ghana Statistical Service. Total trade increased 20.1 per cent to GHc654.7 billion, with exports of GHc401.5 billion against imports of GHc253.2 billion.
1 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Ghana's Revenue Authority intercepted 18 truckloads of transit cargo suspected of diversion into the local market and, on the Finance Ministry's directive, allocated them to the National School Feeding Programme. An investigation uncovered documentation fraud, under-declaration of goods, tariff misclassification, and possible identity fraud.
9 July 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Revenue Authority has donated 39,256 jerry cans of vegetable cooking oil, seized in February following an investigation into customs fraud, to the National School Feeding Programme. The investigation of 18 trucks declared as transit cargo from Togo to Niger uncovered falsified trade documentation, under-declaration of goods, and incorrect tariff classification.
8 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Shippers complained at a Ghana Shippers' Authority meeting that delays in moving containers from Meridian Port Services Terminal 3 to inland depots are prolonging cargo clearance, causing unnecessary rent and demurrage charges even when importers have met statutory requirements. The delays are affecting supply chain efficiency and increasing operational costs for businesses.
2 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Key agencies in Ghana's shipping and logistics sector have committed to addressing problems driving up the cost of doing business at the country's ports, following a stakeholder forum convened by the Ghana Shippers' Authority. Issues raised included port congestion, inspection delays, bureaucratic processes, documentation fraud, corruption and informal charges.
2 July 2026 · Business & Financial Times →
The Ghana Leather and Footwear Manufacturers Association says more than 70 percent of footwear sold domestically between 2024 and 2025 was imported from China, with imports worth over US$40 million while local exports remained below US$1 million. The association alleges that cheap imports have wiped out over 30 percent of market share for locally made footwear over the past decade and forced many producers out of business, and accuses some importers of exploiting customs loopholes by declaring finished products as rubber waste to evade higher duties.
11 June 2026 · Business & Financial Times →
A renewed attempt to introduce a cargo-tracking system—involving Advance Cargo Information, Electronic Cargo Tracking Note, or Smart Port Note technologies—has raised concerns in the trade and logistics sector that it could introduce additional mandatory charges on importers, exporters, freight forwarders, shipping lines, and consumers. The policy, previously shelved at the Ministry of Trade, is now being pursued through the Ministry of Transport, with Inter-Ocean Maritime and Logistics Institute Limited reportedly seeking official backing for the service.
9 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Ghana Link Network Services Ltd, operator of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), has rejected claims by civil society organisations that the platform is dysfunctional and disrupting port and customs operations, calling the allegations baseless and unsupported by verifiable evidence. The company stated that CSO claims of "frequent downtimes" lack specific dates, incident references, affected transactions, or technical evidence.
9 June 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
A renewed attempt to introduce a cargo-tracking regime through Ghana's Ministry of Transport has triggered fresh concerns in the trade and logistics sector. The proposed system—described as Advance Cargo Information (ACI), Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN), or Smart Port Note (SPN)—could introduce additional mandatory charges affecting importers, exporters, freight forwarders, shipping lines, and consumers, after a similar effort failed at the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry.
9 June 2026 · Business & Financial Times →
The Exim Frozen Foods Association of Ghana has urged the Ministry of Transport to reject efforts to reintroduce the Cargo Tracking Note/Smart Port Note system, arguing it would impose significant additional costs on businesses and consumers without delivering measurable benefits to trade facilitation.
8 June 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
The Media Coalition for Good Governance has cautioned that unsubstantiated allegations by civil society organisations about Ghana's port operations risk undermining ongoing reforms in trade facilitation and public health security. The coalition's convener stressed that constructive reform must be rooted in facts and data rather than claims without factual backing.
5 June 2026 · Joy Online →
The EXIM Frozen Foods Association of Ghana has strongly opposed attempts to reintroduce the Cargo Tracking Note/Smart Port Note, warning it could impose an annual burden of €187.2 million to €382.8 million on importers and consumers. The Association urged the Transport Minister to reject the proposal, arguing the abandoned system was needless, duplicative, and expensive.
5 June 2026 · The Chronicle →
The Exim Frozen Foods Association of Ghana has urged the Ministry of Transport to reject efforts to reintroduce the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN), also known as the Smart Port Note (SPN), arguing the system would impose significant additional costs on businesses and consumers without delivering measurable benefits to cargo clearance or trade facilitation.
5 June 2026 · Business & Financial Times →
Ghana Link Network Services has rejected allegations of frequent disruptions to the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), stating the claims lack verifiable evidence and calling on accusers to provide details of specific outages. The company says the system has improved stability following completion of a new data centre and continues to support trade facilitation and customs processing.
5 June 2026 · Joy Online →
The Exim Frozen Foods Association of Ghana has urged the Ministry of Transport to reject reintroduction of the Cargo Tracking Note/Smart Port Note system, arguing it would impose significant additional costs on businesses and consumers without delivering measurable benefits to cargo clearance or trade facilitation.
5 June 2026 · Joy Online →
The Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy has raised alarm over what it says are massive revenue leakages in Ghana's petroleum sector, reporting that more than 200 million litres of fuel cannot be accounted for between 2020 and 2025, resulting in tax revenue losses exceeding GH¢600 million. The institute cites weak monitoring systems at ports and throughout the petroleum distribution chain and calls for stricter enforcement, including real-time fuel tracking systems.
11 May 2026 · Joy Online →