This follows the successful registration of a number of shipping lines onto the system.

It means that representatives of shipping lines can easily upload vessel manifest, an important procedure in cargo clearance at the port.

Similarly, the integration of the system to the container holding terminals at the port to allow for a release of consignments is nearing completion, ahead of the May 25, 2020, full deployment deadline.

The Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, who was at the Tema Port last Saturday to observe a simulation exercise of the system, told the Daily Graphic that considerable progress had been made to allow for a smooth changeover from the previous vendors, the Ghana Community Network Services Limited (GCNet) and West Blue Consulting.

The ICUMS, being implemented by the government, in partnership with Ghana Link Network Services, Customs Uni-Pass International Agency (CUPIA) of Korea, had major hitches at its commencement on April 28, 2020.

It followed the inability of the operators to facilitate an initial interface into the information and communications technology systems of the container terminals, the representatives of shipping lines, regulatory agencies, among others.

Exercise

The two-day exercise, undertaken in collaboration with some shipping lines, such as Maersk Ghana, Bollore Logistics, CMA CGM, Mediterranean Shipping (MSC), Grimaldi, as well as terminal operators, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the Meridian Port Services (MPS), was aimed at testing the functionality status of the system to perform cargo clearance without any hitches.

Some selected importers and agents, including Cosmopolitan Logistics, Cosco Shipping and OMA Ghana, also took part in the exercise, which saw them replicate cargo clearance procedure on the system by uploading import declarations.

A successful processing of the import declaration on the ICUMS during the exercise saw the Customs Technical Service Bureau (CTSB) approving the bill of entries (BOEs) which declared the goods for assessment of taxes to be paid and a further acknowledgement of payment on transactions by the revenue receiving banks.

The team also used the system to undertake the processing of regulatory permits on imports that required such permits from the Trade Ministry, as well as regulatory agencies such as the Foods and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA).

Officials also attempted the processing of documentations on cargos in transit, as well as those meant for warehousing and the free zones.

Shipping Lines

Managers of Bollore Transport and Logistics, as well as Maersk Line, who expressed satisfaction with the level of work done with the ICUMS so far, however, recommended the need for the creation of a hyperlink on the system to allow users to easily access a new document without necessarily having to open an entirely new web link to initiate further process.

They also called the operators to quickly resolve the interface with terminal operators, especially the MPS, which controls about 80 per cent of container cargo at the port.

Ministerial Team

Mr Osafo-Maafo, who was accompanied on the tour by the Minister of Trade, Mr Alan Kyerematen; a Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Kwaku Kwarteng, and a Deputy Minister of Trade, Mr Carlos Ahenkorah, indicated that while the changeover of everything had its own difficulty, the government had made it clear that there would be no provision for choice of which system an importer might wish to select to process cargo clearance documentations.

Other members of the delegation were the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr Amishaddai Owusu-Amoah; the Commissioner of the Customs Division of the GRA, Col Kwadwo Damoah (retd); the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations, Mr Felix Mate-Kodjo, and the Tema Sector Commander of the Customs Division, Mr Joseph Adu-Kyei.

Best choice

The government, Mr Osafo-Maafo said, believed that the ICUMS was the best suitable choice for Ghana in addressing revenue mobilisation challenges and improving trade facilitation services, and “that is what we should all look for and promote and not the interest of any group of persons”.

The ICUMS, he stressed, provided leverage for processes that were done in three days to be done in just a day, and as such it was important that the trading public embraced it.

“Managing change is a whole subject by itself and, therefore, we expect that there will be initial problems with the system, which the operators have worked to resolve, and from what we have seen with the simulation exercise, we are certain that the change is certainly for better,” he said.

“As planned, once the simulation has gone on smoothly, the changeover will come on as scheduled, since we have seen that all players, from terminal operators, through the regulatory agencies, shipping lines to the end users, appear ready for the change,” he added.

For his part, Mr Kyerematen commended the stakeholders for cooperating with the government to get the system rolled out and gave an assurance that all issues raised would be addressed to ensure a smooth take-off.

Assurance

After the exercise, Mr Owusu-Amoah assured the Senior Minister of the GRA’s determination to ensure the smooth take-off of the project.

“Everything is going as planned and I am impressed with the effort put in by the service provider and my officers. The simulation has been successful and its gives us the confidence with regard to the roll-out date,” he said

He added that when the ICUMS was fully deployed at the Tema Port, which is the biggest in sub-Saharan Africa, the country would see an increase in revenue over time, with many of the current loopholes blocked.

Freight Forwarders

Sharing his observations with the Daily Graphic, the Chief Executive Officer of Cosmopolitan Logistics, Mr John Mantey, whose company was part of the simulation, indicated that the pre-entry mode on the ICUMS gave an importer or agent adequate time to undertake processes prior to the arrival of his or her consignment.

“This means that, should you have your documentations about 10 or more days prior to the arrival of a vessel, you can actually process your cargo information and pay the necessary taxes before the arrival, and this gives you adequate time to prepare declarations without making any mistakes that could bring about excess cost,” he said.