Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) Dr Ebenezer Acquah-Bentil, Head of the Policy and Programmes Unit, Tema Collection, GRA-Customs Division, disclosed this during the first Joint Consultative Committee meeting organised by the sector to deliberate to review port operations for the previous year.

Dr Acquah-Bentil, in a presentation, stated that a comparative analysis between the years 2023 and 2024 shows improved effectiveness in reducing the number of BOEs remaining in the system as non-exited ones.

He stated that the import BOE entered for 2024 was 210,862, showing a 19.46 per cent deviation from the 176,513 entered for 2023, adding that in 2024, the total number of import BOEs exited was 209,118 against the 132,757 exited in 2023, showing a deviation percentage of 57.52 per cent.
He noted that the total number of non-existing import BOEs for 2024 was 1,744, showing a 96.09 per cent deviation from the 43,756 non-existing import BOEs.

He said the recorded improved effectiveness in reducing the number of Bills of Entry (BOEs) remaining in the system as non-exited ones could also be attributed to strategic interventions, which contributed to the significant increase in the processing and exiting of BOEs in the year 2024.
He further said preventive officers and other officers at the various freight stations and terminals demonstrated high levels of efficiency and commitment, especially in the year 2024.

“These efforts helped minimise backlogs, streamline port operations, and enhance the overall performance of the BOE management system,” he said.

Dr. Acquah-Bentil stated again that there has been a notable reduction in the number of short collection BOEs, indicating improved compliance from the angle of the declarant/importer in the year 2024.

“Declarants and importers worked collaboratively to minimise infractions and also prevented revenue shortfalls immensely in the year 2024 as compared with the same variable in 2023.”

He said these cooperative efforts reflected enhanced compliance and operational discipline within the revenue system, adding that overall, there was a positive impact on revenue performance due to the collaborative effort of officers, declarants and importers, and all stakeholders in the 2024 fiscal year.

The head of policy and programme stated that these efforts helped minimise backlogs, streamline port operations, and enhance the overall performance of the BOE management system.

He again said the significant increases in BOEs entered and exited in 2024 suggested improved import activity and clearance processes, while the number of non-exited BOEs decreased drastically, implying enhanced processing efficiency, announcing that Red Channel BOEs saw a major rise, while Green Channel BOEs slightly declined, possibly indicating a shift in inspection focus.

“Transit BOEs exited and passed increased in 2024, further supporting a trend toward streamlined operations.”