Importers and Exporters Association Commends Govt for Macroeconomic Stability
The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana has commended the government for its policies and programmes, noting that they have contributed significantly to macroeconomic stability, largely through the stabilization of the cedi. The Association said these improvements have had a positive impact on operations at the ports.
According to the Association, the benefits of these interventions were reflected in government revenue from the ports, which reached US$3,179,125,238.11 as of September 2025, up from US$3,108,226,482.40 in 2024. This increase, they said, has helped cushion demand for goods and services.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday, the Executive Secretary of the Association, Mr. Samson Asaki Awingobit, said the official Bank of Ghana interbank exchange rate currently stands at approximately GH₵11.48 to the US dollar, representing a significant improvement from levels above GH₵15 earlier in the year.
Mr. Awingobit also acknowledged that technical challenges previously associated with the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), particularly intermittent access issues, have now been resolved.
However, he expressed concern about plans to introduce an AI-driven system at Ghana’s ports, reportedly awarded to Truedare Investments Limited, a Cyprus-registered company. He said that although the development has been widely reported, it has not been officially confirmed through full public government disclosures.
According to him, Truedare Investments Limited, which was registered in Cyprus in December 2024, is expected to commence port operations as early as January 2026. The company’s proposed operations reportedly focus on AI-driven automation, pre-arrival inspections, and cargo data verification systems.
He warned that the introduction of such a system could disrupt port operations due to what he described as insufficient stakeholder engagement. Based on public records and investigations, Truedare Investments Limited appears to have no publicly documented prior technical expertise in port automation or AI systems.
Mr. Awingobit further noted that no detailed stakeholder engagement plan has been presented to show how the proposed system would integrate with existing platforms such as ICUMS. He appealed to the government to reconsider the decision.
“Any AI platform must integrate seamlessly with existing customs systems to avoid duplication of efforts or processes. Ghana must retain full control of customs data and the technology core to national trade security,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of capacity building for Ghanaian customs officers and technical staff through exposure and training in advanced ports globally, such as South Korea and Singapore, to help them manage, co-develop, and sustain the already cutting-edge ICUMS technology locally.
Another major concern, according to Mr. Awingobit, is that the reported AI system is expected to rely heavily on data generated from ICUMS to carry out key functions, including cargo risk profiling, valuation checks, and pre-arrival inspections. ICUMS, he explained, is Ghana’s core national customs platform, hosting all customs declarations, trade values, importer and exporter profiles, cargo manifests, tariff classifications, and revenue records.
“It is therefore not merely an operational tool but a strategic national data asset. In practical terms, allowing a newly incorporated foreign private company with no publicly verifiable experience in customs automation, port AI systems, or ICUMS architecture to depend on ICUMS data introduces significant risks to the country,” he concluded.
By Bernard Benghan
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